Line #65 Main/YoungGun


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/YoungGuns https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/06_15000313_0b1b99_2524642a.png]]]]
5
6	->''In the town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red\
7	Many men had tried to take him, and that many men were dead\
8	He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty-four\
9	And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more''
10	-->--Music/MartyRobbins, "Big Iron"
11
12	The Young Gun is the Western equivalent of the KidSamurai or NinjaBrat: a younger, less-awesome version of TheGunslinger, looking to make a name for himself. Expect him to be [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] and [[LeastIsFirst impetuous]]. He will probably attach himself to an older, more experienced character, looking up to him as a mentor figure, only to be told that [[AdventureRebuff this is no kind of life for anyone and that he should get out while he still can]].
13
14	The Young Gun differs from his counterpart TheGunfighterWannabe in that he actually ''has'' what it takes to be a gunslinger, but just needs a little training/experience/maturity in order to get up to speed. TheGunfighterWannabe, by contrast, lacks the talent or temperament to make it as a gunslinger and his attempt to try to make a name for himself despite the warnings of his elders generally doesn't end well.
15
16	Outside the realm of Westerns, this trope all too often overlaps with ChildSoldier.
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23	* ''Manga/Reborn2004'':
24	** Subverted with the eponymous character, since he [[spoiler:was an adult that was cursed and turned into an infant. He ''is'' the mentor, even in his infant state]].
25	** Played straight with Lambo, the 5-year old hitman with an arsenal of weapons stored in his afro. His target Reborn does not even care enough to not be amused.
26	* Colt from ''Anime/SaberRiderAndTheStarSheriffs''.
27	* Hot Shot from ''Anime/TransformersArmada''.
28	* Yuna of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', who proved herself to be very talented at fighting with GunsAkimbo during the Mages vs Martians game and has continued to wield the guns she used then even after the Mahora Festival. However, she still has a long way to go before she reaches the likes of [[TheGunslinger Mana]] or even the [[ShootTheBullet gun-using mage teacher]].
29	* Teana at the start of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers''. It took some time and [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan a few knocks to the head]] for her to grow out of her hot-headed recklessness and [[TookALevelInBadass mature]] to a truly effective Gunslinger.
30	* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' (yeah): This is, out of all people in the world, ''[[ThisLoserIsYou Nobita]]'' whenever the cast travel to a Western-y age/planet/dimension/whatever. Boy might be a total loser in other aspects of life, but when the plot requires that someone be shot, he does the shooting competently. Best exemplified in ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheGalaxySuperExpress'' when the gang travels to a Planet of Cowboys, and must compete in a shooting match firing a loaded six-shooter at six targets. The best record so far is five out of six - Nobita fires six times, hits ''one'' can among the targets, and shows the judge (who just disqualified Nobita) [[ExactlyWhatIAimedAt the can he shot at contains six holes and six spent bullets]].
31	* ''Manga/OsomatsuKun'' : promo art (and even chapters themselves) feature the Matsunos and Chibita with pistols/guns, and even a memorable scene from the 60’s anime featured Chibita pulling out a machine gun.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse there was Jeff Packard a.k.a. Understudy, one-time sidekick to the Rawhide Kid.
36	* The Kid, one of the Alamo Renegades in Creator/MarvelComics ''Western Gunfighters''.
37	* Kit Willer from the Italian comic ''ComicBook/TexWiller''.
38	* The NewOldWest Marvel miniseries ''Six Guns'' features a teenage Two-Gun Kid
39	* Of all of Marvel's western heroes, ComicBook/KidColt was the most impulsive and immature. This did not prevent him being a [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger]] on a par with the rest of them. It just meant he was more likely to get himself into scrapes that could have been avoided.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
43	* Fievel daydreams about being a Young Gun at the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'', complete with his hero Wylie Burp telling him to get out while he still can, and Fievel blatantly disobeying him and shooting out a gang of villainous cats.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
47	* Chico from the movie ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'', the Western version of [[KidSamurai Katsushiro]] from ''Film/SevenSamurai''.
48	* Fee "The Kid" Herrod in ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead''
49	* The Schofield Kid in ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' is introduced as this. Then [[InexperiencedKiller the, in his own words, Kid]] [[BleedEmAndWeep actually shoots a man.]] He's really a [[spoiler: GunfighterWannabe]].
50	* ''Film/FoolsParade'': The volatile Junior Kilfong is by far the youngest of the three crooks chasing the heroes and is a gunman in cowboy garb with a part-time job as a country singer.
51	* Hunt Bromley in the movie ''Film/TheGunfighter''
52	* Morgan Earp as he is portrayed in movies like ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' and ''Film/WyattEarp''.
53	* Marty [=McFly=] in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII''. Marty impresses the gun salesman with his video game-honed marksmanship skills and is given a free gun in preparation for his duel with Mad Dog Tannen (with the catch being [[BlackComedy he'll take it back if/when Marty loses]]). After playing around with it (even wearing it in public), [[SubvertedTrope Marty makes a point of discarding the gun when confronting Mad Dog on Monday]]. After all, [[SpannerInTheWorks he has the improvised bulletproof vest]]. Afterwards he gives it to Seamus, who plans to pawn it for another hat.
54	* Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) from ''Film/RioBravo''. A slight subversion in that Wayne says about him: "It's nice to see a smart kid for a change." and Stumpy agrees. "Yeah, he's not like the usual kid with a gun."
55	* More of a Midwestern example (since the character is from Missouri): Tom Sawyer in ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''
56	* ''Film/TheElusiveAvengers'' from the titular Russian ostern.
57	* Scott in ''Day of Anger''.
58	* ''Film/YoungGuns'' and ''Film/YoungGunsII'' have Billy the Kid as the personification of this trope.
59	* Cotton and his gang from ''Film/OnceUponATexasTrain''.
60	* Jake in ''Film/{{Silverado}}'' is younger and brasher than the more seasoned gunfighters in the cast, but also the flashiest shooter.
61	* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/ColdMountain'':
62	-->'''Inman''': I will not shoot you, but nor am I walking down that mountain looking over my shoulder for you.\
63	'''Bosie''': That's what you call a conundrum. I tell you what I've got on my side.\
64	'''Inman''': What have you got on your side?\
65	'''Bosie''': The confidence of youth.
66	* "Turkey", one of the Dancing Kid's gang in ''Film/JohnnyGuitar''. When Vienna (Creator/JoanCrawford) tells him he's still a boy, he tries to prove he's a man by shooting at saltshakers off a table. Johnny Guitar(Sterling Hayden) rushes in and shoots the gun out of his hand.
67	* Parodied in the backstory of the "[[FastestGunInTheWest Waco Kid]]" in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'': TheGunfighterWannabe that finally managed to defeat him (and humiliated him by [[ShotInTheAss shooting him in the ass]], turning him into TheAlcoholic), was a ''[[EnfanteTerrible six-year-old kid with a gun]]'' (in his defense, the Waco Kid WouldntHurtAChild-the other (literal) kid just happened to exploit that).
68	* Bud Elder, the youngest of the Elder brothers in ''Film/TheSonsOfKatieElder'': a hot-headed 17 year old.
69	* Chico Bonnell from ''Film/FortyGuns'' has all of the skills needed to be a gunfighter—-having been taught be his big brother Griff—-but Griff wonders if he has the mindset needed to accompany it.
70	* In ''Film/AGunfight'', a young gunfighter (played by Creator/KeithCarradine) challenges both Will and Abe to a fight; not caring which one he faces and hoping to take one of their places in the upcoming gunfight. After he shoots the marshal, Will throws down with him and kills him.
71	* ''Film/{{Assassins}}'' is a contemporary thriller not a Western, but features psychopathic newcomer Bain challenging ex-UsefulNotes/ColdWar veteran Rath for the position of number one hitman in the world. And [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne by challenge he means kill]], even when Rath is ready to retire and let Bain walk away with the title.
72	* In ''Film/BlackPatch'', Carl becomes this after Hank Danner is killed: taking Danner's gun and training himself until he becomes [[QuickDraw the fastest draw in town]]. [[InexperiencedKiller The only thing he has yet to do is kill a man.]]
73	* UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid is portrayed this way in ''Film/TheOutlawsIsComing'': literally throwing a tantrum and storming off calling for his mamma when he can't draw his gun from its holster.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Literature]]
77	* Ironically, in ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' series, kid gunslinger Jake is ''not'' the YoungGun. That role falls to the older (twenty-something) Eddie, who otherwise fits the part to a T.
78	* The Creator/JTEdson character Waco is a hard-eyed youngster of about sixteen when he is first encountered, and already has several notches on his gunbelt, all of them nominally "fair fights" but several, as he later admits, for no good reason at all. He reforms after being pulled out from in front of a cattle stampede.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
82	* John "J.D." Dunne from ''Series/TheMagnificentSeven'' [[RecycledTheSeries series]].
83	* "Whip" Morgan from ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr''.
84	* ''Series/TheYoungRiders'' had a young James (AKA Wild Bill) Hickok, and a young Jesse James.
85	* Deputy Johnny [=McKay=] is this in early seasons of ''Series/{{Lawman}}''. He gains maturity as the show goes on.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Music]]
89	* Music/{{Gorillaz}} has a song ''Kids With Guns'', from ''Music/DemonDaysAlbum'', which is about the dangers of children and teenagers with guns in RealLife.
90	* In "The Stranger" by Tommy Tucker the character the song is named for announces his intent to kill the sheriff only to be challenged by a boy just turned 21. It does not end well for the stranger and the boy rides away with people wanting to know who he is before learning that his name is Doc Holiday.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Video Games]]
94	* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Major Ocelot]] matches up to this in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''.
95	* Axl of the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series fits this trope to a T.
96	* Hoopz Barkley, the [[ItMakesSenseInContext Chosen One 12-year-old son of Charles Barkley]], in ''VideoGame/BarkleyShutUpAndJamGaiden''.
97	* Naoto Shirogane in ''VideoGame/Persona4'', being a teenage detective for the police force, carries a firearm to use in battle.
98	* TheWildWest setting of ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' meant that a number of the Van der Linde gang are this, particularly [[BadassBookworm Lenny Summers]]. Both John Marston and Arthur Morgan start off as this, with the former committing his first murder at the age of eleven while the latter was inducted to the Van der Linde gang at fourteen.
99	** In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', John's son Jack, despite outward appearances, isn't even twenty when [[spoiler:he murders Edgar Ross in revenge of his father's death]].
100	* ''VideoGame/UndertaleYellow'' has Clover: a young [[ForGreatJustice justice soul]] dressed in stereotypical cowboy attire and equipped with a revolver who jumps into the underground to rescue the missing humans.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Visual Novel]]
104	* The Wandering Dogs, Oliver, Charles and Nina in ''VisualNovel/RoseGunsDays''. They work for the mafia organisation Primavera and dream of becoming legends like their mentor Wayne Uedera. While they rarely actually use guns, they prove to be very talented in their own fields and succeed in several dangerous missions. [[spoiler:[[KilledOffForReal It doesn't end well for Oliver.]]]]
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Web Comics]]
108	* Gordito in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' subverts or parodies this trope, being very capable and badass as the KidSidekick to a [[BunnyEarsLawyer ninja-doctor]] and occasionally fighting alongside said doctor's CrazyPrepared ninja family.
109	** [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/17p86 He pulls off things like picking off each and every member of a SkyPirate crew one by one when the [=McNinjas=] accidentally forget and leave him behind during a mission. He flies the ship back to base on his own, arriving just as the realize they forgot him.]]
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Western Animation]]
113	* Boba Fett in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' ''oh so very much''. Eventually he [[YoungAndInCharge becomes a leader of a group of older bounty hunters]].
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Real Life]]
117	* UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid: The infamous outlaw may have been the first infamous example of this trope. From age 17 on he committed several murders and was shot dead himself at age 21.
118	[[/folder]]

Context Main / YoungGun