History Main / ArtisticAge

For whatever reason, the artist has taken ArtisticLicense in how they depict the character's age. They might be drawn as younger or older than they really are, or in vague enough strokes that allows us to superimpose whatever age we want on the characters, with their actual age in canon often [[AllThereInTheManual only stated in supplementary material]]. This is often a creative way of averting or subverting TeensAreShort (much like real life).

For whatever reason, the artist has taken ArtisticLicense in how they depict the character's age. They might be drawn as younger or older than they really are, or in vague enough strokes that allows us to superimpose whatever age we want on the characters. This is often a creative way of averting or subverting TeensAreShort (much like real life).

# Much like a drawn equivalent of DawsonCasting, the character in question looks older than he or she is, often done in order to depict {{Fanservice}}, violence, or other mature behavior involving said character that would otherwise be very problematic if they actually ''looked'' as young as they are. While their actual age in canon is treated [[BellisariosMaxim as a mere background detail to be glossed over]], some viewers who do examine it closely [[FridgeLogic can't help but find such portrayals of the character to be ridiculous at best, or uncomfortable at worst]].

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In the ''Pokémon'' anime itself, Ash, much like the direction Sugimori was taking in the games' artstyle as best seen in remake protagonists, looks ''at least'' 12 as of the ''XY'' saga, thanks to his more defined features, sideburns, tanned skin, and thinner frame. The major crush [[TheChick Serena]] has on him and the occasional vaguely sexual imagery that comes out of it doesn't help at all. While it has never been officially stated, it can be safely assumed [[NotAllowedToGrowUp he's still 10 officially]]. The following ''Sun and Moon'' arc reverted back to looking around 10. To a lesser degree, Ash suffered from this in ''Advanced Generation'' and ''Diamond and Pearl''. Many fans swore he looked older than he previously had, made worse by the fact Ash's Sinnoh rival himself seemed teenage, but it was simply his clothes giving off the impression he'd gotten older. Ash has gotten taller since Kanto, but he's not teenage height yet.

For whatever reason, the artist has taken ArtisticLicense in how they depict the character's age. They might be drawn as younger or older than they really are, or in vague enough strokes that allows us to superimpose whatever age we want on the characters.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Mario and Luigi's {{Badass Mustache}}s tend to make them look like they're in their late 30s or 40s, but they're actually in their mid-twenties, according to Miyamoto.

See also VagueAge, AgeIsRelative.

** This is ''somewhat'' justified in the first two games, as the characters technically are young adults due to [[spoiler: losing a few years of memories]], making them a few years older than their given age. Still, the cast of V3 look the same age but aren't implied to be suffering from memory loss, but they ''could'' still be adults, as it turns out [[spoiler: they may not even be real,]] meaning the could have been subjected to DawsonCasting [[spoiler: in-universe.]]

* ''Manga/TokyoRevengers'' can get ridiculous with this. The majority of the story takes place during middle school for most characters, but they're capable of some ridiculous feats for their 14-16 age range and their looks hardly match up. This gets especially bad in the final arc, where we're introduced to South; flashbacks show him becoming a favela crime boss at twelve years old, but he has the height and physique of his high school self.

* The manga version of ''Literature/BattleRoyale'' suffers from this. They are all supposed to be 15 to 16 years old, the usual age to be during your first year of high school, but the artist's style has most of them look ''at least'' like they are old enough to be close to graduating high school around age 18. Shogo and Mitsuko are two of the worst offenders, looking (and acting) like they are in their twenties.

* The main characters in the ''Manga/BattleRoyale'' manga are all supposed to be 9th graders, ages 14 to 15, (except Shogo, who got held back) but most of them look like they're in their twenties at least. Possibly to make all the [[{{Gorn}} extremely graphic violence]] a little easier to swallow.

* Except for Echizen Ryouma and a few other first-years, none of the players on ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' look like they're supposed to be in middle school.

For whatever reason, the artist has taken ArtisticLicense in how they depict the character's age. They might be drawn as younger or older than they really are, or in vague enough strokes that we superimpose whatever age we want on the characters.

# Much like a drawn equivalent of DawsonCasting, the character in question looks older than he or she is, often done in order to depict {{Fanservice}}, violence or other mature behavior involving said character that would otherwise be very inappropriate if they actually ''looked'' as young as they are. Their actual age in canon is merely a background detail to be glossed over, but some viewers [[FridgeLogic can't help but find it inappropriate]] upon learning it.

* Lt. Q.P. Dahl from Wally Wood's ''[[ComicBook/SallyForthWood Sally Forth]]'' is the leader of his squad, despite being half as tall as everyone else and resembling a bald, prepubescent child.

* According to WordOfGod, [[http://www.quazacolt.com/dmmlq/yoko.jpg Yoko]] from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' is ''[[http://community.livejournal.com/gurren_lagann/517861.html#cutid1 around 14 years old]]''. The same age as KidHero protagonist Simon, who is quite a tad shorter.

** The most blatant example of this trope in fiction is Jotaro Kujo, [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080110031930/jjba/images/2/29/Jotaro_Kujo_Part_VI.jpg who looks younger in Part 6 as a man in his 40s]] than he did as [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jjba/images/0/01/JotaroProfile.png/revision/latest?cb=20190117103858 a 17 year old high school student in Part 3]], although this may be a side-effect of having a Stand.

* [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'' with Joseph's teacher [[spoiler:and later revealed to be his mother]], Lisa Lisa. She looks almost the same age as Joseph himself, when in actually, she's exactly 50 years old kept looking young by her expertise in Hamon practice.

* ''Anime/{{Transformers}} Kiss Players''. So very much. For reference, the titular Kiss Players are all in their twenties. They are all drawn to look somewhere around 8 at the oldest, and very disturbingly sexual things happen to them. Artist Yūki Ōshima says he did it "to make jaws drop". [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:LegionRape1.jpg It worked]].

* Melissa Chase from ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' is thirteen years old, but has a body comparable to ''sixteen-year-old'' [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Vanessa Doofenshmirtz]].

* Most of the main cast in ''Franchise/SailorMoon''. They are only 14 years old, but look like they are around 17, if not more. This is most noticeable with Haruka and Michiru and the Sailor Starlights. They are around 16-17, yet they look very mature and almost old as Setsuna, who is in her early to mid twenties ([[Really700YearsOld physically]]). This is made even more apparent when we see the future inner senshi, who look exactly the same in the manga and crystal while the only difference they have in the manga is wearing lipstick.

* Most of the main cast in ''Franchise/SailorMoon''. They are only 14 years old, but look like they are around 17, if not more. This is most noticeable with Haruka and Michiru and the Sailor Starlights. They are around 16-17, yet they look very mature and almost old as Setsuna, who is in her early to mid twenties ([[Really700YearsOld physically]]).

# Much like a drawn equivalent of DawsonCasting, the character in question looks older than he or she is, often done in order to depict {{Fanservice}}, violence and other mature behavior involving said character that would otherwise be very inappropriate if they actually ''looked'' as young as they are. Their actual age in canon is merely a background detail to be glossed over, but some viewers [[FridgeLogic can't help but find it inappropriate]] upon learning it.

* Guts from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' was only 18-19 during the Golden Age but the manga, anime and movies make him look a man in his late 20s to mid 30s, this can be easily justified by saying Guts's horrific life has aged him far beyond his years. Similarly GentleGiant Pippin looks like he's in his 30s ''at the very least'' but is actually only 19 same as Guts during the Eclipse.

* Class 3-A in ''Manga/{{Negima}}'' is all around 14-15 years old. Their actual character designs run from Type 1 (Mana, Kaede, Chizuru) to Type 2 (the Narutaki twins), and even some who actually ''look'' like teenagers in the middle. This has gotten ''[[PlayingWithATrope numerous]]'' {{lampshade hanging}}s.
* ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'' have largely avoided this with the main cast (especially the girls) actually looking relatively like 14/15-year olds. Bianchi (18) and Adult Lambo (15) who are Type 1 and the two 5-year olds who are Type 2 are some of the more noticeable exceptions.

A character's age isn't always easily apparent. There's "youngin's" who are OlderThanTheyLook or ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, and "adults" who are YoungerThanTheyLook. However, sometimes the character's age is obfuscated -- not from the rest of the cast, but us viewers.

* Show of hands: who here thinks Masaru and Toma from ''Anime/DigimonSavers'' look fourteen (especially considering that nineteen-year-old Masaru looks ''exactly the same'' in the DistantFinale)?

* ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'''s characters have appearances based on their personality, maturity, or whatever their shtick is, despite all of them being around the same age (15-18). The series is very self-aware, however, and never fails to lampshade how absurd some of the characters look.

* ''{{Fanfic/Ruin Value}}'' conceals Luna, Celestia's, and Discord's ages in service to concealing the story's true nature as a [[spoiler:StealthPrequel]].

* Nearly the entire cast in ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' to greater or lesser extents.

* ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren''. Before the TimeSkip, the main heroines are 10 and look 10, but afterwards, they're 12 and look more 15-16.

* Yumiko from ''LightNovel/YokuWakaruGendaiMahou'' is 15 years old, but her body frame is closer to Misa, who's in her 20s.

# The character looks younger than he or she is. Artists probably do this to have mature storylines without losing younger viewers (and depending on the genre, it can also be applied for a [[LoliconAndShotacon particular kind]] of fanservice). This is somewhat like casting HollywoodHomely and GenericCuteness, in that everyone is drawn in such a way that they seem attractive, or in this case the same age.