Line #214 Main/PubertySuperpower


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/XMen https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c248cbc237ee3426a0d0638d6e2bdf5f.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:Today, you are a man -- mazel glob!]]
6
7	->''"And like all puberty-induced superpowers, it comes at night, while thunder claps."''
8	-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's''' [[https://youtu.be/XoU_FXBoE30 review of]] ''Film/TeenWitch''
9
10	The acquisition of superpowers or abilities at the onset of becoming a teenager, roughly between the ages of 12-16. This is probably to avoid the inherent danger of a child or baby casually using powers in a potentially destructive manner or, if there is one, blowing the {{Masquerade}}. However, more often, it works as a rather transparent metaphor for UsefulNotes/{{puberty}}.
11
12	Curiously, few such teens have trouble figuring out HowDoIShotWeb; apparently, the powers are just instinctive. This doesn't stop [[DangerRoomColdOpen mentor figures]] from putting them through {{training\|From Hell}} to [[TrainingTheGiftOfMagic master those abilities]], however.
13
14	Nearly all current "dramatic" superheroes with "natural" superpowers (such as Franchise/{{Marvel\|Universe}}'s mutants) receive them as teenagers. In fact, the trope originated with the creation of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' in the 1960s and was probably developed to appeal to the overwhelmingly teenage readership of comic books at the time.
15
16	This in turn was possibly influenced by the folklore about poltergeist manifestations being associated with adolescents, which in turn has been interpreted as a metaphor for sexual awakening.
17
18	See also Dangerous16thBirthday and HumanAlienDiscovery. Compare TheCallPutMeOnHold and sometimes FictionalAgeOfMajority. Contrast GrowingUpSucks where a character possesses a power throughout childhood, but ''loses'' it at puberty instead.
19
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25	* In the world of ''Anime/{{Charlotte}}'' abilities are "awakened" when an individual reaches adolescence and go away when adolescence is over.
26	* The age is thirteen in ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch''. Any [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]] with her pearl becomes a legal adult in the mermaid world, as well as summoning an apparition of Aqua Regina, who may or may not upgrade her power.
27	* In ''Manga/{{Karin}}'', [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] are born outwardly normal and attend school like anyone else until their vampirism suddenly kicks in and they become [[WeakenedByTheLight weak against sunlight]] and so forth, which can happen any time up to high school.
28	* ''Manga/OmamoriHimari'': Yuuto's demon-hunting powers were supposed to have awakened when he turned 16. His powers took a little longer to manifest, however.
29	* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' gained her [[RealityWarper reality-warping]] abilities at age twelve. Itsuki got his PsychicPowers at the same age, though in his case it wasn't a real example since he got his powers ''because'' of Haruhi subconsciously creating espers, and he just happened to be around the same age as her. Alternatively, it's also possible that Haruhi has had the ability to warp reality since birth, but she had never really questioned the way the world works until the age of 12. [[EpilepticTrees Or perhaps that she has remade the world multiple times in the past, but the protagonists of the main series, being denizens of ''this'' world, are unaware of these prior universes]].
30	* In ''Anime/StrikeWitches'', magic powers usually surface in girls around age 12 and mostly disappear by age 20.
31	* The "Topless" of ''Anime/DieBuster'' manifest in certain humans at the onset of puberty and disappear when puberty fades, similarly to ''Strike Witches'' above. The organization of the Topless, the Fraternity, has numerous allusions to childhood and its trappings as a result.
32	* The vampire queens in ''Anime/BloodPlus'' [[OurVampiresAreDifferent are born as vampires]] and get their powers at the age of 16 years. From this point on they will not physically get older.
33	* {{Subverted\|Trope}} in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' where Quirks manifest anywhere from birth to the age of four, and not having one by the time they are four, means that the child is [[UnSorcerer Quirkless]] and will never get any powers.
34	* ''Anime/YashahimePrincessHalfDemon'' shows that [[{{Youkai}} half-demons]] grow older at a human rate until they reach puberty. Once they reach puberty, they become significantly more long-lived than humans. However, the extent of this longevity can vary widely. The half-demon characters in the series only get their longevity during their puberty, they already had their superhuman physical strength as children.
35	* ''Manga/AizawaSanMultiplies'': Aizawa's mother says that all the girls in her family get some variety of power when they're teens, which is why she's not terribly surprised at the fact that she went from having one daughter to having four due to suddenly gaining SelfDuplication powers one day.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Comic Books]]
39	* ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Season 8'': Due to the new rules of the Slayer line, Potential Slayers now become full-fledged Slayers when they reach suitable maturation; one such Slayer, Soledad, activating at 16.
40	* Most later versions of ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'', e.g., ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', although pre-Crisis ''Superman'' continuity (including [[Film/SupermanTheMovie the 1978 movie]]) has him [[SuperStrongChild lifting cars (or at least adults) as a baby]]. Read any pre-Crisis ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' comic featuring "Superbaby" to see [[GooGooGodlike why most writers don't let babies have super powers]].
41	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': As mentioned above, this franchise is very much the {{Trope Maker\|s}}. Mutant powers usually manifest at puberty. This happens on ''birthdays'' more often than is statistically warranted (though possibly justified, as [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening moments of intense emotion and/or stress]] are sometimes said to be a factor in the initial manifestation).
42	** The X-Men spin-off ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' is explicitly this trope; all team members have powers that appeared with puberty, a varying number of years in the past -- Xian's the longest ago (she's 19), Rahne's only a month or two before (at 13).
43	** ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' [[AlternateContinuity reworks continuity]] to put most of the main characters ''in'' their teens.
44	** ''ComicBook/GenerationX'' is about a group of powered teens at Xavier's spin-off school.
45	** Exceptions to this trope tend be extreme. The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] Morph, as explained in ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'', was born [[BlobMonster a fairly squishy mass of a baby]]. Nonetheless, he counts himself lucky since his power allowed him to quickly shift into a more normal appearance and live a fairly happy family life.
46	*** This is also very similar to what happened to ComicBook/CaptainBritain's girlfriend and later wife, [[ComicBook/ExcaliburMarvelComics Meggan]].
47	*** There is also Jamie Madrox, alias, Multiple Man, whose mutation showed itself directly after birth when he [[SelfDuplication created several copies of himself]] after getting the usual slap on the behind. In ''ComicBook/XFactor2006'', it's suggested that mutants who manifest at birth ''aren't'' technically mutants, but rather something mysteriously other.
48	*** A fairly mild exception was Hank [=McCoy=], alias the Beast, who only had larger-than-average hands and feet when he was born. In the original (pre-1975) incarnation of the X-Men, that (and inhuman strength/agility) was the extent of his mutation. It wasn't until the original series ended that he turned furry.
49	*** Kurt Wagner, alias, Nightcrawler was born with the physical characteristics that are part of his mutation: blue fur, hands and feet with fewer digits, a {{prehensile tail}}, et cetera. His {{teleportation}} ability was a straight example of this trope.
50	* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Franklin Richards is a major exception who, even more dramatically than Superbaby, shows the dangers of a child who possesses (literally) [[RealityWarper world-shaping power]].
51	* ''ComicBook/PowerPack'' is an exception, where the Power siblings gain their powers from an alien, with Alex at 12, Julie at 10, Jack at 8, and Katie at 5 when the comic first started.
52	* ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'':
53	** While [[ComicBook/SpiderMan her father]] got it from a [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers radioactive spider-bite]], May Parker got her powers in the middle of a high school basketball game.
54	** However, her younger brother Benjamin turned out to have super-strength and the ability to shoot organic webs (a power neither his father or his sister had) as an infant. Luckily, as it turned out, as he was thus able to save his own and his mother's life.
55	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d by Molly Hayes in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''; when her powers developed, she kept trying to talk to her parents and friends about the weird things her body was doing, but they all thought she was just talking about normal puberty.
56	* {{Averted\|Trope}} in ''ComicBook/SupremePower'': the toddler [[SupermanSubstitute Hyperion]], upset by a barking puppy, [[EyeBeams incinerates it with his eyes]].
57	* Horrifically {{inverted\|Trope}} in the back-story of Billy Butcher from ''ComicBook/TheBoys''. After Butcher's wife was [[RapeAsBackstory raped by]] [[BewareTheSuperman a superhero]], she [[DeathByChildbirth dies]] when the [[FetusTerrible unborn super-powered fetus]] [[ChildByRape born from that encounter]] literally rips itself out of her womb.
58	* In Valentino's ''ComicBook/{{Normalman}}'':
59	-->'''normalman:''' When did you get your superpowers?\
60	'''Sophisticated Lady:''' Puberty.
61	* ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'' begins the day after Sophie Mitchell hits puberty.
62	* ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' has many of the students manifest their abilities during teenager-dom, [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening in extremely traumatic ways]]. Jennifer Takeda, for instance, discovers her abilities when making out with her boyfriend. Unfortunately for Jenny, her ability is to [[PoisonousPerson project and excrete hazardous, toxic, and radioactive materials]]. He doesn't die, but the trauma haunts her.
63	* In ''ComicBook/SexCriminals'', middle-school girl Suzie finds out that having an orgasm somehow [[TimeStandsStill freezes time for the entire world and everyone in it except her]].
64	* Another exception: ''ComicBook/PS238'', which deals with "prodigies", who are elementary-school students with superpowers (one of the titular school's taglines is "''[=PS238=]'': Making sure the next generation doesn't break too much of this generation's stuff").
65	* Persuasion (Kara Killgrave), of ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'', manifests her mind control powers and [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation turns purple]] at age 13.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Fan Works]]
69	* ''Fanfic/HowOnEarth'': The members of the Uno family have innate superpowers that can only be activated during puberty (eleven to fifteen/sixteen), either by a fellow family member or by an emotional outburst. By a stroke of luck, Monty Uno was able to avoid activating his powers, unlike his younger brother Benedict. [[spoiler:His son Nigel probably would've been able to do the same had Grandfather not gotten his hands on him.]]
70	* ''Fanfic/AFewNeededAdjustments'' is a ''Yokai Watch'' fanfic where it turns out that Fumi cheated on Keita with Kyuubi, [[ChocolateBaby resulting in]] [[HalfHumanHybrid Natsume]]. Natsume only learned this after she woke up one day looking like a fox. Her yokai side didn't activate until her first period.
71	* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'', Izuku's new spider-powers are mistaken for this as he passes off his abilities as a Quirk.
72	* In ''Fanfic/TheWorstPossibleSitch'', Monique began [[{{Seers}} getting visions]] when she hit puberty.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
76	* {{Parodied\|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': Miles gets bitten by a radioactive spider while working on graffiti, but just brushes it off. The next day, he's significantly taller, sweaty all the time, has visible [[ThoughtCaption thought captions]], and his hands stick to things (including his crush Gwen's hair). He chalks it up to puberty.
77	* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanRedSon'' starts with a 12-year old Somishka having recently gained Kryptonian powers.
78	* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'': Mei's shapeshifting ability manifests when she's 13 years old and is experiencing puberty. This ends up becoming an EntertaininglyWrong moment, as when Mei freaks out after transforming and hides in her shower, Ming (Mei's mom) enters under the assumption that she just had her period.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
82	* The film ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' only has the main character as having his powers first activate on-screen whilst he was in his teens, and it does kinda say that what with the powers [[SuperpowerfulGenetics being in the blood]], puberty is the last possible point for someone to gain superpowers (unless you have a vat of [[ToxicWasteCanDoAnything toxic waste]]), after which it's pointless to have that cape at the ready.
83	* Speaking of, Charlie from ''Firestarter'' is an exception, since she showed her abilities in infancy, much to her parents' alarm.
84	%%* ''Film/{{Carrie\|1976}}'' dealt with this theme. Note that {{superhero}}es aren't the only ones with superpowers...
85	* Magicians in ''Film/TheCovenant'' have a two-level PubertySuperpower. They first get their powers around age 13 and get a massive power boost when they hit 18. From that point on, however, their magic becomes CastFromLifespan.
86	* {{Averted\|Trope}} in ''Film/{{Scanners}}'', where the telepaths of the title are quite capable even [[FetusTerrible before birth]]. This guarantees that when they grow up, they will have [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity a host of psychological problems]], and -- because they've been able to hear the thoughts of others their whole lives -- a deeply flawed sense of self.
87	%%* ''Film/TeenWolf'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin if it wasn't obvious]].
88	%%* Similarly, ''Film/TeenWitch''
89	* The whole point of the Disney movie ''Film/UpUpAndAway'', where the middle child of a superhero family is quickly approaching his 14th birthday. All superheroes receive their powers before this age. If they don't, then they remain ordinary humans. His younger sister, though, got her EyeBeam powers at the age of two (now imagine for a second a two-year-old who can shoot lasers out of her eyes), so 14 is just a cut-off age. He remains a human at the end but comes to term with it, and his best friend suggests he still becomes a masked hero [[BadassNormal but without powers]]. On the upside, he can touch [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere aluminum foil]]. In order not to cause his father (a respected local hero named Bronze Eagle) to be embarrassed at having a normal son, the kid fakes having SuperStrength (by rigging a patio door to fly off its hinges when he opens it) and flight (by throwing a ball at a tree and running away). His grandfather (a retired hero named Steel Condor) sees right through him and urges him to tell his father the truth.
90	* ''Film/NowYouSeeIt2005'': Danny claims his first sign of power started when he was thirteen, and [[MadameFortune Madame Suzette]] tells him that powers usually start at the onset of puberty.
91	* ''Film/BlueMyMind'': Mia starts her SlowTransformation at 15 right after getting her first period, gradually turning into a mermaid.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Literature]]
95	* In ''Literature/GrimoiresSoul'' people generally gain the ability to use magic via personal grimoire at age 14. Kesterline uses social control to convince people that for the most part only nobles, and only male nobles of the Mage core at that, can use magic, but the reality is that almost everyone has the potential to use it.
96	* Channelers in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' get their abilities as teenagers (or early twenties for men).
97	* Magical education starts in early adolescence (age 11) in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series (a ComingOfAgeStory). Magical ability, however, is present since birth. It's generally accepted that if it ''hasn't'' revealed itself by age 7, it's not there.
98	* In ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'', Will gains entrance into the Circle of the Old Ones at eleven.
99	* Yet another notable (and extreme) exception: In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Literature/SpindlesEnd'' (an [[AdaptationExpansion expansion]] of the various "Literature/SleepingBeauty" stories) magic permeates everything and the Fairies are actually normal people who just happen to have the inborn ability to control it. Some Fairies come into their power fairly early. A few manifest powers very early, a phenomenon known in the novel as "Baby Magic". As cutesy as that sounds, it's actually very dangerous and unpredictable. A baby Fairy may be able to understand AnimalTalk. Or, he may be able to [[ForcedTransformation transform the nanny into a terrier]] and pull a OneWingedAngel act ''every'' time he has a tantrum...
100	* Averted in Olaf Stapledon's ''Literature/OddJohn'', where the title character had special abilities from birth. However, those abilities also came with a cost (including much slower childhood development and physical frailties).
101	* Inverted in ''Literature/AComingOfAge'' by Creator/TimothyZahn: Children do not develop their telekinetic powers at puberty, but at approximately 5 years of age, however they instead [[GrowingUpSucks lose]] their powers at puberty.
102	* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', magical talent typically sets in at puberty, but people only begin to achieve their full power [[WizardsLiveLonger at age 100]]. This emphasizes how badass Harry is, as he isn't even 40 and is among the top twenty most powerful wizards on the planet.
103	* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, the Heralds typically gain their [[PsychicPowers Gifts]], and their [[BondCreatures Companions]], in their teen years. It can be a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening when this happens much earlier or much later than 13 or so.
104	** Played with in her ''[[Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms Five Hundred Kingdoms]]'' novels, in which those likely to be magic users feel magic growing around them at the point when a fairytale would usually begin in their case, which is usually mid-teens.
105	* Almost every superpower in ''Literature/WomenOfTheOtherworld'' is a puberty superpower. Werewolves first begin to change at the end of puberty; the average age of their first change is 18, although it can happen anytime between 15 and 21. Witches can begin practicing minor spells at a young age, but after their first [[NoPeriodsPeriod period]] can perform a ritual that greatly increases their magical strength. Half-demon powers also start showing up at the beginning of puberty and increase in strength until their late twenties. In fact, the parallel young adult series ''Literature/DarkestPowers'' focuses on adolescents just coming into their powers.
106	* The ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'' refers to this. The child protagonist already has the titular powers... but scientists are afraid puberty will make them spike to nuclear levels.
107	* The twin sisters in ''Literature/TWitches'' discover they have magical powers at age 14. In the movie, it was curiously changed to 21.
108	* In Diane Duane's ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, the Powers most often offer Wizardry to kids in their teens; Nita is considered a bit early, at 13, Kit even earlier, at 12, and Dairine is shockingly young at just 10. The younger a wizard is when they start, the more raw power they have; however, the Powers generally want kids to have as much of a childhood as possible before offering them the magic.
109	** They also get a smaller burst of power from hormones during puberty, as happens in High Wizardry: Kit has a growth spurt, and Nita is getting a little bit of growth up top.
110	* In ''Literature/BrasAndBroomsticks'' by Sarah Mlynowski, Rachel Weinstein's younger sister gets magical powers before her. This is explicitly because of puberty; her sister was an "early bloomer".
111	* While '''Magyk''' in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' manifests itself much earlier than puberty, Apprentices achieve full abilities when they turn 14.
112	* Mostly averted in the novel ''Franchise/StarCraft: Ghost: Nova'' with the titular character who is an extremely-powerful {{telepath\|y}} and [[MindOverMatter telekinetic]]. While, normally, psychic individuals are required to be turned over to the Ghost Academy, Nova is from one of the Old Families of Tarsonis, and her father uses his considerable influence to keep her "gift" hidden. It's mentioned that she's been able to do things from infancy and always appears to know what people are thinking and feeling. However, it's not until she's in her teens that her powers start approaching "critical". When her parents are killed in front of her by a bunch of rebels, she literally goes nuclear, wiping out the rebels and any innocent bystander nearby, as well as shattering the penthouse dome, which is rated for nuclear strikes.
113	* Windseekers in ''Literature/ZahrahTheWindseeker'' start to float around puberty. Zahrah herself starts floating after her menarche.
114	* {{Averted\|Trope}} in ''Literature/CorrespondenceFromTheGoddess'', where Lydia Devin is an aimless adult a couple of years out of high school when her powers start showing up.
115	* ''Literature/TheUltraViolets'' only begin to manifest their powers when they are re-exposed to Helitropium, at age 11-12. One of the major plot points, Opal being powerless for most of book 1, is suspiciously similar to a girl watching all of her friends develop quickly and noticeably while she remains the same.
116	* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Garion's first use of his powers comes shortly after he begins shaving. In the prequels, Belgarath and Polgara both gained their powers during puberty as well. It's explained that it probably doesn't happen during childhood because that's when you're most likely to try to unmake something in a tantrum, which the rules of magic forbid.
117	* In two of Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's novels, genetically engineered people don't receive the full extent of their abilities until they undergo a metamorphosis in their early to mid-teens. In ''Literature/LineOfDelirium'', Kay Dutch is an illegal "super", with a preference for linguistics, although all his physical and mental qualities are at superhuman levels. He explains that he was a scrawny weakling until sixteen, at which point his body started its modifications. In ''Literature/{{Genome}}'' any "spesh" has to undergo pupation at around 12-13, at which point his or her mind and body undergo the final changes.
118	* In ''Literature/TheFolkKeeper'', [[SelkiesAndWereseals sealmaidens]] are stated to be just like humans when born, only coming into their fae powers when they turn 12 years old.
119	* The titular character of ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'' had very occasional instances of telekinetic ability as a baby/toddler, but gained consistent powers, including some telepathy, after [[MenstrualMenace her first period]].
120	* In ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'', shadowhunter Jace tells that most shadowhunters get their first [[PowerTattoo runes]] at the beginning of their puberty.
121	* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' has [[HalfHumanHybrid demigods]]. As soon as they enter puberty, their powers develop. But at the same time, they also get a smell [[MagicIsAMonsterMagnet that attracts dangerous monsters]].
122	* In the German booklet series ''Literature/{{Maddrax}}'', there are the {{mutants}}. In their childhood, they are not at all different from ordinary humans -- only with the onset of puberty does the mutation begin.
123	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Mutants usually manifest around age fourteen. It's a good thing there's a [[SuperheroSchool high school]] to ship them all off to...
124	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', most parahumans appear to get their powers in their teenage years.
125	* In ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'', most metahumans manifest during their teens, with a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening. People who manifest earlier tend to be more powerful; people who manifest later tend to be less powerful.
126	* In ''Literature/ArrowAndAce'', powers are mentioned multiple times to manifest around puberty. The catch, people don't always realize when that happens, leading to some HowDoIShootWeb.
127	* It's not technically a superpower, but in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', every human being is accompanied from birth by a daemon that represents part of their soul. As long as man is a child, the daemon changes into various animal forms. But once humans reach puberty, the daemon permanently assumes animal form. It was a special moment for Lyra and Will because their daemons got their permanent form after Will touched Lyra's daemon and Lyra touched Will's daemon.
128	* In ''Literature/TheHauntingOfCassiePalmer'' by Creator/VivienAlcock, Cassie's psychic powers start manifesting when she's thirteen.
129	* In the ''Literature/SirenNovels'' trilogy, sirens are just like ordinary girls until they reach childbearing age. Then they gain the ability to breathe water and enchant men, but also need to spend a few hours a day immersed in saltwater, or they dry out and eventually lose the ability to breathe.
130	* Not explicit but certainly implied in ''Literature/OneHundredCupboards'' as the approximate age when green men go through the warpspasm. Henry and Darius were both twelve, Monmouth around thirteen, and Mordecai certainly below fifteen. Averted with the DistaffCounterpart version of the power, the manifestation of which apparently doesn't rely on age ''or'' birth order.
131	* In ''Literature/KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark'', the titular Knights gain their powers at the exact instant of turning thirteen. This tends to be...[[PowerIncontinence explosive]].
132	* Jade from the ''Literature/RealMermaids'' series turns into a mermaid for the first time at thirteen, four hours after getting her first period.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
136	%%* ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}'': Firestarters.%%Administrivia/ZeroContentExample
137	* The special children in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' develop their powers at the age of 22 years and six months. Past puberty, but still valid as a metaphor for emerging into adulthood.
138	* Notable exception: Characters in ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'' were granted superpowers by [[spoiler:people from the future]] at various ages, from childhood to old age. The one in-show exception is Isabelle, who was conceived and implanted into Lily's body during her abduction, and shows extremely powerful abilities as an infant and even some powers while still in the womb. Indeed, the character of Isabelle never really goes through puberty at all, as she is [[PlotRelevantAgeUp aged]] from an infant to adulthood in an instant at the end of the second series.
139	* Betazoids (a naturally telepathic race) in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' gain their mind-reading powers at puberty, except for a few rare exceptions who are born telepathic. Those tend to be mentally unstable from not being able to "tune out" the mental noise around them.
140	* {{Averted\|Trope}} in ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', where the [[MageSpecies witch-children]] are shown using magic even as infants. Of course, they're [[HalfHumanHybrid half-mortal]], so their abilities may be atypical. Endora brags that Samantha was able to fly on her own by age five but then adds that Samantha had been precocious for her age.
141	* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' claims that half-witches come into their powers on their [[Dangerous16thBirthday 16th birthday]], before which Sabrina's aunts had engaged in an elaborate {{Masquerade}} to keep the other world a secret from her -- though this does not jive well with the later implications that witches are generally comically bad at dealing with things in the usual mortal way, and that deliberately avoiding magic is unhealthy for a witch. This is also {{retcon}}ned in ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'', where a 13-year-old Sabrina has full knowledge of the other world. That or the cartoon was just following the path of the original ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' comic books, where Sabrina is shown with her powers even as a child (in a few "Little Archie" stories).
142	* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' {{avert\|edTrope}}s this. Characters manifest their powers at various ages. Some, like Nathan Petrelli or Matt Parkman, manifest well into adulthood. Others, like Micah Sanders or Molly Walker, manifest before puberty. The youngest example is Donna, from the comics, who was unaware she had a power at all because she'd had it from ''birth''. [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat She had simply assumed]] telescopic vision ''was'' normal. Or Claire Bennet, whose powers had her survive a fire as a baby.
143	** Matt Parkman Jr. is the most outstanding aversion of the series, his "touch and go" power manifest before even his first birthday.
144	* {{Averted\|Trope}} in ''Series/Merlin2008'' -- the titular character could use his magic "before he could talk".
145	* ''Series/{{Spaced}}'': [[ShowWithinAShow The comic Tim is working on]] is about an orphaned kid who is exposed to some weird chemical by an amoral 'Doktor' as part of some twisted experiment. Absolutely nothing happened and the Doktor destroyed his research. Then when puberty hit, the dormant chemicals in his bloodstream activated and the orphan kid mutated into the comic's titular Bear.
146	* Slayers in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fit this model. They suddenly become a Slayer around thirteen or fifteen. [[spoiler:Right up until Willow breaks the 'one girl' system]] in season 7's "Chosen".
147	** Not most of them, prior to [[spoiler:Willow's spell at the end of the series]]. Only a few Potential Slayers ever end up being "activated". Most aren't, and if they're not called by the age of 20 or so, they never will be.
148	** There are also the warlocks and witches who get their powers with puberty. But that's [[AdultsAreUseless just because adults in this series are useless]], and most of the protagonists are teenagers. They get their powers as soon as they deal with magic, theoretically, even a child or an adult could become a warlock or a witch.
149	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' inverts this with Connor in season 5. [[spoiler: His new "parents" take him to Wolfram and Hart for help]] when he discovers his abilities after being hit by a truck and later being able to fight demons. He eventually finds out the truth.
150	** In the comics you can also see the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] Ruby Monahan. When she turned 18 years old, her demonic powers suddenly developed. But her body [[InvoluntaryShapeshifter changed as well]].
151	* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', while Clark had super-strength and super-speed as a child, most of his other powers didn't manifest until he was in his teens. In one memorable case, his heat-vision first manifested due to sexual arousal... make of that what you will.
152	* In ''Series/TheTomorrowPeople1973'', new teeps begin manifesting their powers in a dramatic "breaking out," their head suddenly crowded with overheard voices via telepathy and, more dangerously, teleporting instinctively with no destination in mind, winding up stuck in hyperspace forever. ([[Series/TheTomorrowPeople2013 The revival]] solves that problem, at least, by means of a beacon which would draw any undirected teleports to a single location, letting them learn how to 'jaunt' safely and bringing them together to learn from each other, like teen girls dragging a friend off to the bathroom to explain the facts of life or deal with an embarrassing period accident.)
153	* Latent telepaths in ''Series/BabylonFive'' often manifest at puberty, though some (like [[spoiler:Susan Ivanova]]) manifest substantially earlier.
154	* On ''Series/LostGirl'', Fae gain their powers during puberty. Bo discovered her succubus powers at 16 when she accidentally killed her boyfriend.
155	* The series ''Series/TheXFiles'' has Dylan Lokensgard from the episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS09E05LordOfTheFlies Lord of the Flies]]". He is a kind of human insect mutant. And because he is in adolescence, his body changes and his powers develop. His mother, who is also such a creature (his father is an ordinary human), makes him aware of this several times during the episode.
156	* Plays for horror in ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. Wraith gain their special powers, such as super strength and regeneration, during puberty. But at the same time they also develop a [[HorrorHunger horror hunger]], and have to suck the life force out of humans (or other wraith).
157	* In ''Series/{{Grimm}}'', female Grimms are able to see Wesen as they are for the first time around the age of twelve. The men, however, may be in their thirties before their power kicks in.
158	* ''Series/GenV'': Marie's blood powers manifested with her first period at age twelve. It is implied that most Supes get them earlier.
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
162	* Maria in ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' doesn't develop her ability to TimeTravel until she hits puberty, much to the relief of [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture her parents]] Dave and Samantha]] who were worried about Maria's present self disappearing as a baby. This doesn't seem to be binding, though, Maria's son Leonardo develops ''his'' powers at a much younger age. Then again, [[spoiler:he ''is'' Creator/LeonardoDaVinci, it wouldn't be at all surprising that he's a prodigy in ''this'' field too]].
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
166	* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', sorcerers and psions develop their powers around puberty.
167	* In both ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'' and ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'', werewolves or other fera/changing breeds generally go through First Change around puberty at the earliest. Depending on circumstances, it can happen significantly later in life, or ''very'' rarely [[KidHero earlier]]. In the ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'', puberty is also a common time for psychic powers or the more innate forms of thaumaturgy to manifest.
168	** ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' Princesses usually Blossom when they first realize that they are capable of making a difference and set out to make the world a better place. This most commonly happens during puberty as the prospective Princess begins to establish an identity for herself, but can also happen as a child or not until she is fully mature, depending on circumstance.
169	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', children in [[TheEmpire the Realm]] are [[TykeBomb raised on the assumption that they might turn into Dragon-Blooded]]. This almost always happens during puberty, so children who do not transform in this way by their 20s are considered "failures" and assigned to lesser roles.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Video Games]]
173	* Shigesato Itoi has stated [[http://mother3.fobby.net/interview/m3int_04.html in an interview]] that this was the way that all the characters with PSI powers gain new abilities throughout ''VideoGame/Mother3''.
174	-->'''Word on the Wind:''' It appears that one of your friends is not feeling very well. They aren't poisoned, nor are they sleepy, yet they just can't shake that ill feeling. They lack the energy to run, and using items or hot springs doesn't appear to help, either. It would seem this is because something is beginning to awaken inside them. But I'm sure they'll get over it before long, so don't be too worried.
175	* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'', a mage's powers generally begin to manifest at the onset of puberty, though some can and do receive them much earlier.
176	* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', due to biotics being caused by a fetus undergoing Element Zero exposure whilst ''in-utero'', it's possible for newborn infants to manifest biotic abilities at birth, while others remain latent biotics until secondary exposure later in life. According to WordOfGod, all biotic classes of Commander Shepard are the latter, having undergone secondary exposure and subsequently manifested their biotic potential at 17. After joining the Alliance Military a year later, they were then fitted with L3 implants. This is to explain the apparent discrepancy of biotic Shepard being older than most [=L3s=] and not being present at the BoardingSchoolOfHorrors that Kaidan attended.
177	* A variation is present in ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''. Inklings start out as tiny little squids, then over the years [[http://i.imgur.com/VwRXAVn.png gradually grow more humanoid]] until they become fully developed at around 14 -- which is also when they gain the ability to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shift between human and squid form at will]]. The same goes for Octolings, their octopus counterparts.
178	* ''VideoGame/WeirdAndUnfortunateThingsAreHappening'': Alicia's psychic powers, as she started seeing things that weren't there for other people, when she hit puberty.
179	* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'': As seen by charts in the facility containing her, Elizabeth had her [[RealityWarper reality-warping]] abilities since she was a baby, but once she started going through puberty, the intensity of said powers skyrocketed to the point they had to build a device to shackle her power to manageable (by Comstock, not by Elizabeth) levels.
180	* In ''VideoGame/TheSims'', occults such as witches, vampires, werewolves, fairies, mermaids, and aliens can't use their powers until they become teenagers.
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
184	* In ''VisualNovel/MagicalDiary'' it appears that magical powers manifest at thirteen. They're then [[BroughtDownToNormal sealed again]] and not released until the young witch or wizard is sixteen, and therefore old enough to be in a dating sim.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Webcomics]]
188	* Played straight [[http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1888388/a-moving-sight/ here]] in the ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' comic "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/electricwonderland/index.php?issue=19&pageType=index Puberty of the Future]]" reveals that Nettropolis avatars undergo a random and apparently permanent transformation at about the time they enter high school. While most of these transformations consist simply of becoming taller, some of NJ's enemies and friends assume more powerful forms in the story. [[spoiler:NJ doesn't get a superpower, for the record, just whiskers.]]
189	* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'': Summer also has quite a bit of teenage [[IJustWantToBeNormal angst]] regarding her superpowers, since she has difficulty controlling them and this has led to a few catastrophes.
190	* {{Inverted\|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/ToPreventWorldPeace''. {{Magical Girl}}s gain their powers as young children and are expected to lose them during puberty.
191	* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', most [[MadScientist Sparks]] break through as teenagers or young adults. It's subverted by Gil, who built his first construct as a young boy. Double subverted by Agatha, who '''started''' breaking through as a child but got a PowerLimiter put on her. Her powers fully awakened when she lost it thirteen years later.
192	* In ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'', most people with latent innate superpowers usually see them manifest in early puberty.
193	* ''Webcomic/IgnitionZero'': On [[spoiler:Martin's]] thirteen birthday his faerie shapeshifting powers awakened.
194	* In ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'', the emotional volatility that accompanies puberty is noted to have dramatic effects on espers with EmotionalPowers. Shigeo was born an esper, but it's at age fourteen that his power starts growing exponentially and beyond his ability to reliably control it through EmotionSuppression. Additionally, [[spoiler:his brother Ritsu, [[TheCallPutMeOnHold a latent esper himself]],]] starts manifesting his own EmotionalPowers shortly after turning thirteen.
195	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' also makes an exception: Xykon, although being a Sorcerer, has his necromantic powers manifesting while still a young boy.
196	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'' has a double-ended version: magical girls usually get their powers around age 12-13 (when puberty is starting) and lose them again around age 18 (when puberty is coming to an end).
197	* ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist'': In the backstory, [[MetaOrigin a series of weird storms]] sweeps the world in 1991; some of the children who were in utero at the time reach start developing superpowers in the mid-00s.
198	[[/folder]]
199
200	[[folder:Web Original]]
201	* In the ''Winds of Change'' universe, people Change into half human, half animals during puberty. They also gain awesome powers.
202	* The adult fiction series ''Tim, the Teenage MC'' [[DoubleSubversion double-subverts]] this trope. Tim is born with his telepathic powers switched on, but "grows out of them" shortly after learning to talk. He forgets about them until they reactivate around puberty.
203	[[/folder]]
204
205	[[folder:Western Animation]]
206	* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': Danny made light that he was gaining "evil puberty" powers once he received the Ghostly Wail. His powers from the beginning onset also reacted to his growing teenage body (example: his nervous emotions towards a girl triggered an unexpected intangibility and cause his pants to fall down, poor poor Danny).
207	* ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'': Zatanna awakened her magical powers after getting her first zit.
208	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'': Interestingly enough Creator/HannaBarbera gave us one of the few inversions on this trope. Bamm-Bamm Rubble's whole super-powered as a baby loses his in his teen years on ''WesternAnimation/ThePebblesAndBammBammShow'', only to regain them in adulthood in later movies. Essentially making his puberty superpower being that he ForgotAboutHisPowers.
209	* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'': Parodied [[RefugeInAudacity to hell and back]], when Peanut gaining superpowers is used [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything as a stand-in for puberty]]. He's embarrassed by [[RagingStiffie his solar shield manifesting during a meeting]], is caught shooting off his power bands to pictures of supervillains in the bathroom, and nervously asks [[{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}} Black Vulcan]] about [[TheirFirstTime his first time facing off against a bad guy]].
210	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Invincible\|2021}}'': The title character, Mark Grayson, doesn't develop his powers until he turns 16. After which, he begins training with his father, [[SupermanSubstitute Omni-Man]], to control his powers and start his career as a hero.
211	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': When Mr. Cat and [[spoiler:Stumpy]] hit puberty, [[spoiler:they gain invisibility powers. {{Subverted\|Trope}}, however, as the two were actually suffering from a disease, and had not hit puberty yet]].
212	* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': {{Subverted\|Trope}} with Kipo, as while she becomes ''aware'' of her VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities on her 13th birthday, it's revealed in the second season and that she's ''always'' had the ability, having used it on at least one occasion as an infant. They just didn't re-manifest until adolescence because her powers are triggered by her fight-or-flight response, and she's spent most of her life until the events of the show living comfortably in an underground bunker.
213	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Spike gains [[spoiler:a pair of wings]] after going through a shed, which is the dragon equivalent of puberty.
214	* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': In the appropriately titled episode "Mewberty", the title character goes through the Mewni equivalent of puberty. This consists of her becoming boy crazy and sprouting acne-like purple heart stickers when exposed to them. Those stickers eventually overtake and cocoon her, transforming her into a six-armed flying butterfly monster with super strength and Spider-Man web powers that kidnaps and imprisons every boy she can find. Then it arbitrarily wears off after a few hours, leaving her with only a pair of small vestigial wings as a reminder. [[spoiler:Later on the powers resurge in a less horrifying fashion.]]
215	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans\|2003}}'': Tamaraneans, the alien race that Starfire belongs to, are born with powers, but undergo a metamorphosis during the teen years (with puberty metaphor fully in place) that may grant additional abilities. And it varies per individual. Starfire started with a huge zit before other mutations came in and eventually became a chrysalis. She came out of it with EyeBeams. Compare this to her older sister Blackfire, who turned violet for a couple of days.
216	* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': [[spoiler:{{Inverted\|Trope}}]], as [[spoiler:Sari]] realizing her robot heritage and upgrading herself with the Allspark key actually ''causes'' her to go through puberty. It's never really explained how this works, nor is the disorienting nature of [[spoiler:going from eight to a teenager in an instance]] addressed in any way. Since [[spoiler:Sari]] is a Cybertronian, it was probably just an upgrade to her body; happens all of the time in ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''.
217	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PubertySuperpower