History Main / NotAllowedToGrowOld

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge2'': Despite the game taking place over the course of seven years, none of the characters so much as change outfits or hair cuts, let alone age.

** On the other hand, Simba looks pretty much the same from Hakuna Matata (where he would be about age 5) to the finale of Lion King II a full generation later (about age 10 and should be getting old or at least significantly weaker than Kovu in his prime)
* Also happens in ''Disney/SleepingBeauty''
* And Disney's ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', Bruce Wayne is allowed to grow old, but not to die. This leads, in the Distant Finale, for an incredibly ancient-looking Bruce Wayne, who must be at least over a hundred, to still be kicking around the Batcave.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' takes place around ten years after ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', but few of the returning adult characters look like they've aged at all (Leliana in particular has been accused of looking ''younger''). However, Arl Eamon's son Connor has a cameo where he's shown to have grown from a child into a young man, and Morrigan's son, if he was born at the end of ''Origins'', is now a prepubescent boy.

Ah the Time Skip. Some fans' favorite moment of the series. Everyone is [[TookALevelInBadass stronger]], [[OlderAndWiser smarter]], [[ShesAllGrownUp more attractive]]. The kids are teens, the teens are adults and the adults are...um, still adults.

* After the [[spoiler:two]] TimeSkip[[spoiler:s]] in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', [[CampGay Leeron]] still looks the way he was in early episodes. even when the other older characters during the early episodes are ''already geezers and grandmas''.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] and PlayedForLaughs in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': When there were flashbacks to Asterix's birth or childhood years, the village's oldest resident Geriatrix appeared unchanged.

* After the [[spoiler:two]] TimeSkip[[spoiler:s]] in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', [[CampGay Leeron]] still looks the way he was in early episodes. even when the other older characters during the early episodes are ''already geezers and grandmas''.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'', none of the characters seems to age after the TimeSkip. Nagisa's AbsurdlyYouthfulMother ''still looks as young as she was back when was able to pass as a Highschool girl''[[note]]her daughter was [[UpToEleven also at high school at that time]].[[/note]].

** As far as we can tell, none of the Disney characters age at all - Huey, Dewie and Louie have been selling stuff to heroes for at least a decade, and are still kids.

* Acknowledged and lampshaded in ''NarutoShippuden'': All the kids are older but most of the adults don't even get new costumes. In one post-show explanation, they note how Kakashi's only difference between then and now is that he's reading a different book.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] and PlayedForLaughs in ''{{Asterix}}'': When there were flashbacks to Asterix's birth or childhood years, the village's oldest resident Geriatrix appeared unchanged.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''{{Asterix}}'': When there were flashbacks to Asterix's birth or childhood years, the village's oldest resident Geriatrix appeared unchanged.

* After the [[spoiler:two]] TimeSkip[[spoiler:s]] in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', [[CampGay Leeron]] still looks the way he was in early episodes. even when the other older characters during the early episodes are ''already geezers and grandmas''.

** The OriginalGeneration characters like Ven, Terra, and Aqua look the same before and after a 10+ year timeskip, while Sora Riku and Kairi all look different after only a 1 year skip. Magic is involved in some of these cases, however: [[spoiler: Ven's been in stasis in Castle Oblivion, while Aqua is trapped in the realm of Darkness.]]

* As far as we can tell in KingdomHearts none of the Disney characters age at all, and even OriginalGeneration characters like Ven, Terra, and Aqua look the same before and after a 10+ year timeskip, while Sora Riku and Kairi all look different after only a 1 year skip.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' takes place around ten years after ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', but none of the returning adult characters look like they've aged at all (Leliana in particular has been accused of looking ''younger''). However, Arl Eamon's son Connor has a cameo where he's shown to have grown from a child into a young man, and Morrigan's son, if he was born at the end of ''Origins'', is now a prepubescent boy.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': Pinnochio has this problem. He wanted to become a real boy, but he didn't know it would be ''forever''.
--> '''Pinnochio:''' I want my balls to drop and I want to get laid.

** The most triumphant example is probably Zazu, from Simba's presentation ceremony as a cub at the start of the 1st film, to his full-grown daughter finding a mate and inheriting the kingdom at the end of the 2nd. He hasn't aged a day.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'', none of the characters seems to age after the TimeSkip. Nagisa's AbsurdlyYouthfulMother ''still looks as young as she was back when was able to pass as a Highschool girl''[[hottip:*:her daughter was [[UpToEleven also at high school at that time]].]].

* ''TheLionKing'' - Most noticeable in the timeskip sequence when Simba Timon and Pumbaa are walking across the log, Simba goes from lion cub to adolescent to adult. Timon and Pumbaa don't change at all.
** The most triumphant example is probably Zazu, from Simba's presentation ceremony as a newborn at the beginning of the first movie, to his full-grown daughter finding a mate and inheriting the kingdom at the end of the second (two full generations later). He hasn't aged a day.

* In ''{{Clannad}}'', none of the characters seems to age after the TimeSkip. Nagisa's AbsurdlyYouthfulMother ''still looks as young as she was back when was able to pass as a Highschool girl''[[hottip:*:her daughter was [[UpToEleven also at high school at that time]].]].

* In ''BatmanBeyond'', Bruce Wayne is allowed to grow old, but not to die. This leads, in the Distant Finale, for an incredibly ancient-looking Bruce Wayne, who must be at least over a hundred, to still be kicking around the Batcave.

* After the [[spoiler:two]] TimeSkip[[spoiler:s]] in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', [[CampGay Leeron]] still looks the way he was in early episodes. even when the other older characters during the early episodes are ''[[BeyondTheImpossible already geezers and grandmas]]''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}: Pinnochio has this problem. He wanted to become a real boy, but he didn't know it would be ''forever''.

* ''TheLegendOfZelda OcarinaOfTime'' - After the seven-year skip. only the kids are shown to have changed to adults. Only exceptions are Ganondorf, and to a small extent Ingo who received a new costume

Ah the Time Skip. Some fans favorite moment of the series. Everyone is [[TookALevelInBadass stronger]], [[OlderAndWiser smarter]], [[ShesAllGrownUp more attractive]]. The kids are teens, the teens are adults and the adults are...um still adults.

This is somewhat TruthInTelevision, if only a few years have gone by the difference between how much an adult changes and how much an adolescent does can be drastic. There's a much more visible difference aging from 10-15 than there is aging from 35-40.

However this gets particularly noticeable when after reaching a certain age, adults in a series stop showing signs of aging at all. No wrinkles, no gray hairs, no change in build, and often times no costume changes or new hairstyles either.

Not to be confused with NotAllowedToGrowUp, may overlap with SORAS.

* Acknowledged and Lampshaded in NarutoShippuden - all the kids are older but most of the adults don't even get new costumes. In one post show explanation they note how Kakashi's only difference between then and now is that he's reading a different book.
* In ''{{Clannad}}'', None of the character's seem to age after the TimeSkip. Nagisa's AbsurdlyYouthfulMother ''still looks as young as she was back when was able to pass as a Highschool girl''[[hottip:*:her daughter was [[UpToEleven also at high school at that time]].]].
* After the [[spoiler:Two]] TimeSkip[[spoiler:s]] in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', [[CampGay Leeron]] still looks the way he was on early episodes. even when the other older characters during the early episodes are ''[[BeyondTheImpossible already geezers and grandmas]]''.

* TheLionKing - Most noticeable in the timeskip sequence when Simba Timon and Pumbaa are walking across the log, Simba goes from child, to teen to adult. Timon and Pumbaa don't change at all.
** The most triumphant example is probably Zazu, from Simba's presentation ceremony as a newborn at the beginning of the first movie, to his full grown daughter finding a mate and inheriting the kingdom at the end of the second (two full generations later) he hasn't aged a day.
* Also happens in ''SleepingBeauty''
* And Disney's Tarzan
* In BatmanBeyond: Bruce Wayne is allowed to grow old, but not to die. This leads, in the Distant Finale, for an incredibly ancient-looking Bruce Wayne, who must be at least over a hundred, to still be kicking around the Batcave.

* TheLegendOfZelda OcarinaOfTime - After the seven year skip only the kids are shown to have changed to adults. Only exceptions are Ganondorf, and to a small extent Ingo who received a new costume
* Between the 3rd and 4th generations of ''RecordOfAgarestWar'' Alberti grows from a teen to middle-aged. Between the 4th and 5th generations? No change, even though there was a nearly 20 year TimeSkip both times.

Examples
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WesternAnimation

VideoGames