Typically the youngest member of a FiveManBand, the Tagalong Kid is usually the Hero's or the Chick's younger brother. He gets to save the day about once per season, but in the worst case scenarios he'll end up being TheLoad or DesignatedVictim in every other episode.

If the kid is an actual teammate instead of just a tag-along, the kid might sub in for just about any role but TheHero, with the proper tropes behind him or her.

* TheChick -- ChildrenAreInnocent. A CheerfulChild can operate as the team's moral compass and emotional center. At worst, they serve as the [[DesignatedVictim designated kidnap victim]]. Might be the least likely Team Kid to be the BrattyHalfPint, though it does happen.
** If given combat ability, they tend to use their youthful energy and small size to fight as a FragileSpeedster. Alternatively, they may use some form of ranged weaponry to strike from a safe distance as a GlassCannon. Slingshots and other throw weapons are more common than relying on [[StraightArrow archery]] or [[TheGunslinger firearms]], but subversions happen.
** Older kid Chicks in older {{Five Man Band}}s may instead be a HotBlooded teenager. He's still the most [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]] guy on the team, but his combat ability tends to be a KidSamurai or a YoungGun.
* TheSmartGuy -- TeenGenius, or maybe [[ImprobableAge preteen]]. The BrattyHalfPint can also fill the "smartass" variation of this role.
* TheBigGuy -- Stronger than he first appears, the kid is a CuteBruiser capable of benchpressing ten adult men.

See also: ImprobableAge, ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, TheBumblebee, TheTeamNormal.

Not to be confused with a child who's just part of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_people an ethnolinguistic group of people of a certain southeast-Asian country.]]

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!!Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Anime ur-example: Bat from ''{{Fist of the North Star}}'', as well as Lin.
* Isidro from ''{{Berserk}}''.
* Chibi-usa of ''SailorMoon'' is one of the BrattyHalfPint variety.
* Mokuba Kaiba and Rebecca Hawkins of ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}!''
* Akira of the Shiseiten in ''SamuraiDeeperKyo.''
* Clare is Teresa's TagalongKid in ''{{Claymore}},'' and Raki becomes hers.
** Raki gets one himself after the TimeSkip, citing Clare's treatment of him as his motivation. [[spoiler: Of course his happens to be Priscilla, the single most powerful Awakened Being in existence]].
* Jinpei from ''ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman''. As [[TheChick Jun's]] adopted brother they grew up in the same orphanage together, and Jun literally required that Jinpei joined her when she accepted [[TheMentor Dr. Nambu's]] offer to join the Science Ninja Team. Thus he serves the role of being the smartass BrattyHalfPint variant of TheSmartGuy.
* In ''{{Bleach}}'', [[BloodKnight Zaraki Kenpachi]] has [[CuteBruiser Kusajishi Yachiru]], his vice-captain (and it's hinted that she may be deadlier than him).
** In later arcs, we also have Nel.
* In ''{{Yotsubato}}'', Yotsuba is ''everyone's'' TagalongKid.
* Goku of ''{{Saiyuki}}'' has the personality and the relationship to the group, but he's actually the closest thing the series has to a genuine hero, and it's his relationship with Sanzo/Konzen that is the impetus of... well, pretty much every thing that happens in the plot? Something like that.
* Scar has Mei-chan in ''FullmetalAlchemist''.
* Shiro in ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
* Mamoru in ''GaoGaiGar'', although it's quite ''necessary'' that he tag along.
** And Mamoru proves his worth a few times outside his usual specialty, like during his DynamicEntry / BigDamnHeroes / ThrowingDownTheGauntlet moment in episode 40.
--->'''Mamoru:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Fight me, Primevals!]]
* Max from the ''Advance'' seasons of {{Pokemon}}.
* Conan Edogawa of ''DetectiveConan'' was first considered by the Detective Boys as such, but, well... [[TeenGenius his intelligence]] could hardly be covered.
* Chiru from ''Xabungle''... by that show's standards.
* Antonio from ''RomeoXJuliet'', though he's quite GenreSavvy and competent as well.
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[[folder:Films]]
* Woody in ''Film/SkyBlue''. He suffers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Ponyboy of ''TheOutsiders''. He's only considered a "member" of the gang because of his older brothers.
* [[spoiler:Lupine Wonse]] was a literal Tagalong Kid in ''[[Discworld/GuardsGuards Guards! Guards!]]'' The skipping run he developed to keep up with the big boys in his gang is how Vimes recognizes him as an adult leaving the scene of a crime.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* River Tam on ''{{Firefly}}'', although she has a much bigger role in the movie.
** River is a bit of a subversion, actually. [[spoiler: Or did you forget when she shot a bunch of guys, with her eyes shut, saving Kaylee and Serenity?]]
** ThisTroper think she was more a development of this. In his opinion, the reason she never showed her power in the earlier episodes was that she didn't know she had it until she had been outside the academy for several months and had time to heal a little bit. Thus it is played straight combined with TookALevelInBadass.
* Justin in ''Power Rangers Turbo'' is literally a kid who tagged along and was given Ranger Powers. For reasons that are never adequately explained in the series, he morphs into a fully grown adult blue Ranger.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* Vaan in ''FinalFantasyXII'' -- a bit unusual in that he's the viewpoint character. Also, his eventual role in the group is dependent on how the player develops his skills (though it's easiest to send him along the FragileSpeedster route).
* In ''{{The Elder Scrolls}}: Oblivion'', winning all Arena matches saddles you with the "Adoring Fan", a small boy who follows you around gushing about your deeds. Due to his catchphrase of "By Azura, By Azura, By Azura!", amoung other things, he's almost universally considered {{The Scrappy}}. In fact, it's become popular to take him to high ledges and make him fall to his death, though he (un)fortunately respawns.
* Petey in ''{{Bully}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Gordito in ''[=~The Adventures of Dr. McNinja~=]''. A 12-year-old Mexican [[TheGunslinger GunSlinger]]... with a full-grown mustache. At one point, the good Doctor highlights that Gordito does not merely "[[BadAss tag along]]".
-->'''Dr [=McNinja=]:''' Do you think I run around with a ''twelve-year-old boy'' just because I like his inferior grasp of girls and higher level math? Do you think I left him with my psychotic parents because I wanted him to die? No, you undead pale ponce! Gordito is the effing ''badass kid''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Tommy (alias Number T) of ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'' -- [[SixthColumn almost]] promoted to SixthRanger.
* Dil of ''{{Rugrats}}''. One episode revolves around the older babies giving him an initiation into "the big babies".
* Hiroki and Johnny in the later seasons of ''CodeLyoko''.
* Enzo in ''{{ReBoot}}'', at least the first few seasons.
* Ray Thompson, in the episode "Justice" from ''JusticeLeague''. For the most part, he's simply a useless sidekick who cheers on the heroes featured in that episode, the Justice Guild. Of course, Ray is not what he seems to be.
* Tails on ''{{SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog}}'', which provides for some CharacterDevelopment as he trains under his BigBrotherMentor to become a more effectual Freedom Fighter.
* Sheila's younger brother Bobby, from the animated ''[[Series/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]''.
* Sari, for the first two seasons of ''TransformersAnimated''.
* The ''{{Histeria}}!'' episode "The Legion of Super Writers" has Loud Kiddington play this role to the team of the episode's title.
[[/folder]]

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