History Main / SicklyChildGrewUpStrong

** Ursa mentions that she was born much like her son Zuko. Her mother described it as being similar to birthing a stone. Though not very physically adept, Ursa grew into a commanding figure and strong woman.

* ''VixeoGame/HarvestMoon'':

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* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'': Yuzuki was an IllBoy as a child, but a female PlayerCharacter courting him will discover that he now qualifies for StrongerThanTheyLook, as he's able to lift several heavy boxes.

* ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' shows this transition in detail. At the start of the story, its protagonist Vivio is a fragile 10-year-old girl who has a lot of passion for martial arts but is repeatedly told by genuinely concerned friends and relatives that pursuing that dream with her physique may be too dangerous for her health. Over the course of the series, however, Vivio slowly builds up her strength and develops her own fighting style to compensate for her inherent weaknesses. After several arcs, even her mother Nanoha (the overarching protagonist of the series and one of the most powerful combat mages of the series) [[WellDoneSonGuy acknowledges her progress]] by expressing readiness to spar with her at full power (again, that is -- although the last time they fought, Vivio was BrainwashedAndCrazy and amped up on GreenRocks).

* ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'': Clifford was the runt of the litter but grew up to be larger than a house.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Ghost the [[WhiteWolvesAreSpecial albino]] [[DireBeast dire wolf]] was the [[TheRuntAtTheEnd runt]] of his siblings and only given to Jon because the the healthier ones have been claimed but when he becomes an adult he is the largest of his litter and in the tv adaptation he [[spoiler:is one of only two survivors out of the litter]].

* In the sequel to ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', Hiccup's revealed to have apparently been born premature, and his mother was worried that he wouldn't make it, but his father had confidence that he would. While in the first film, Hiccup's a scrawny kid and a BlackSheep in his village, by the end of it, he's the first person to ever tame a dragon (which also happens to be a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Night Fury]], widely considered to be one of the most dangerous dragons out there if not ''the'' most dangerous) and the best inventor in Berk. By ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', Hiccup has also grown more into himself and eventually becomes the chief of his village.

* The Mountain Man from ''Film/ColdPrey'' is said to have been born stillborn. As a grown up though, he became an ImplacableMan, capable of surviving alone in the norwegian mountains and easily performing neck twists on his victims.

* Michelle Aimi Ketchum (sometimes called "Shelly" by family and close friends), the daughter of Ash and Misty in Pokémon-fanfiction stories by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2086119/nyislandersgirl nyislandersgirl]], was very sickly as a baby (such as having been born with severely underdeveloped lungs, which led to breathing problems), but ultimately got better and grew up to be perfectly normal as she got older.

* Hiccup from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is revealed in the second film to have been prematurely and almost died. In the first film he starts off as a scrawny kid and a BlackSheep in his village. By the end of the first film, he is the first person to ever tame a dragon and is the best inventor in Berk. By ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'' Hiccup has also grown more into himself and eventually becomes the chief of his village.

* Prior to becoming ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, Steve Rogers was such a weakling that he was rejected from the military.

* Franchise/{{Wolverine}} was very weak and sickly as a child. As an adult, he has a HealingFactor and is easily one of the powerful superheroes in the Marvel-universe.

* Michelle Aimi Ketchum (sometimes called "Shelly" by family and close friends), the daughter of Ash Ketchum and Misty in Pokémon-fanfiction stories by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2086119/nyislandersgirl nyislandersgirl]], was very sickly as a baby (such as having been born with severely underdeveloped lungs), but ultimately got better and grew up to be perfectly as she got older.

* Hiccup from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' almost died as an infant due to being born prematurely. In the first film he starts off as a scrawny kid and a BlackSheep in his village. By the end of the first film, he is the first person to ever tame a dragon and is the best inventor in Berk. By ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'' Hiccup has also grown more into himself.

* Gaara from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' was born extremely small and premature. He grew up ostrasized by his entire village and family due to being a ''jinchuriki''. After [[spoiler:his uncle (who was the only person who showed affection towards him)]] tried to kill him, he snapped and turned into an AxCrazy EnfantTerrible. After undergoing a HeelFaceTurn, Gaara becomes an AllLovingHero while still being [[TheAce as powerful as ever]], to the point where he became [[AChildShallLeadThem kazekage by fifteen]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': [[TheBigBadWolf Bigby Wolf]] was the [[TheRuntAtTheEnd tiny runt]] of his litter and [[BigBrotherBully his brothers]] called him The Big Bad Wolf [[IronicNickname to mock him]]. After his mother died and his brothers disbursed he was unable to protect his mother's body from scavengers so he made a vow that each thing he killed would be bigger than the last, this eventually caused him to grow into an [[CanisMajor elephant sized wolf]] that went on the kill hundreds and he even took his brothers insulting name [[AppropriatedAppellation as his own]].

* Hiccup from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' almost died as an infant due to being born prematurely. In the first film he starts off as a scrawny kid and a BlackSheep amongst his village. By the end of the first film, he is the first person to ever tame a dragon and is the best inventor in Berk. By ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'' Hiccup has also grown more into himself.

* While not particularly strong an adult, Hope from ''Literature/{{Firstborn}}'' was the runt of the litter. She was expected to die but [[spoiler:ended up the SoleSurvivor of her litter when the others died in a fire]]. Subverted with her sibling from another litter, who ended up [[spoiler:taken by a owl]].

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings 2'' babies can get born with the Sickly Infant trait. This does not prevent them from gaining the Brawny trait or from aquiring a high level martial education when grown up.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' : According to [[OldSoldier Drack]], his granddaughter Nakmor Kesh was tiny and sickly when she was an infant, when she grew up she would become head engineer of the Nexus and while we never see her fight, it's implied she is more than capable of holding her own.
* ''VideoGame/Destiny2'': [[BigBad Ghaul]] has this as his backstory. As a child, he was outcast from Cabal society due to being a runt and albino. In the present day, he towers over the (already very large) other members of his species, and rules their society after killing his way to the top. However, it's implied that he still suffers from an InferioritySuperiorityComplex, hence his insistence on earning the Traveler's approval rather than just taking it's power by force (which he has the technology to do).

* In ''Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' Lucky actually dies shortly after birth and only a strange bit of spur-of-the-moment first aid from Roger brings him back. After recovering he becomes the most wilful and adventurous of the 15 original puppies.

* Franchise/{{Wolverine}} was a weak, sickly child. As an adult he has a HealingFactor and is quite powerful.

* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'': Yuzuki was an IllBoy as a child, but a female PlayerCharacter courting him will discover that he now qualifies for StrongerThanThey look, as he's able to lift several heavy boxes.

* ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' shows this transition in detail. At the start of the story, its protagonist Vivio is a fragile 10-year-old girl who has a lot of passion for martial arts but is repeatedly told by genuinely concerned friends and relatives that pursuing that dream with her physique may be too dangerous for her health. Over the course of the series, however, Vivio slowly builds up her strength and develops her own fighting style to compensate for her inherent weaknesses. After several arcs, even her mother Nanoha (the overarching protagonist of the series and one of the most powerful combat mages of the series) [[WellDoneSonGuy acknowledges her progress]] by expressing readiness to spar with her at full power (again, that is -- although the last time they fought, Vivio was BrainWashedAndCrazy and amped up on GreenRocks).

* A twofold example in ''Literature/TheGraceOfKings'' that functions as a {{deconstruction}} of TrainingFromHell in martial arts stories. Phin Zyndu started life as the happy, bookish younger son of a distinguished martial aristocratic family, but all that changed after the family was either slaughtered or sold into slavery after being betrayed and framed for treason. Phin hid during the slaughter and was found by enemy soldiers, and when he cried, they spared him, mocking him as being NotWorthKilling. After this, he fled with the other surviving member, his baby nephew, Mata, and toughened himself up and brought Mata up under this harsh regimen of physical training and little affection, which Phin convinced himself that his brother/Mata's father would have wanted, in part because he hated himself for his former "weakness". The end result is that the older Phin is a StrawMIsogynist with his [[BecomingTheMask gentle side so suppressed between his macho "mask" as to be nonexistent]], and while Mata loves his uncle and is grateful for the upbringing that gave him a CharlesAtlasSuperpower, [[RealityEnsues he's deeply emotionally stunted and disturbingly dogmatic in his views as a result of his upbringing]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Applejack was very thin and spindly when she was younger. In the present day, she is an AmazonianBeauty.

* In the two Disney ''{{Disney/Bambi}}'' [[Disney/{{Bambi II}} films]], Bambi is portrayed as very meek and slow to adapt compared to other fawns such as Faline, and gains a [[TraumaButton form of PTSD]] from the death of his mother by hunters. Under the care and tutoring of the Great Prince however, he starts proving more exceptionally athletic and wilful, becoming the only of the young animals able to stand up to [[TheBully Ronno]] and even overcome his TraumaButton to protect a doe from hunting dogs. By the time he is a young buck, he is a full grown BadAss (if still an {{Adorkable}} one), and takes his place as the next Great Prince of the Forest.

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': [[TheBigBadWolf Bigby Wolf]] was the [[RuntAtTheEnd tiny runt]] of his litter and [[BigBrotherBully his brothers]] called him The Big Bad Wolf [[IronicNickname to mock him]]. After his mother died and his brothers disbursed he was unable to protect his mother's body from scavengers so he made a vow that each thing he killed would be bigger than the last, this eventually caused him to grow into an [[CanisMajor elephant sized wolf]] that went on the kill hundreds and he even took his brothers insulting name [[AppropriatedAppellation as his own]].

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Ghost the [[WhiteWolvesAreSpecial albino]] [[DireBeast dire wolf]] was the [[RuntAtTheEnd runt]] of his siblings and only given to Jon because the the healthier ones have been claimed but when he becomes an adult he is the largest of his litter and in the tv adaptation he [[spoiler:is one of only two survivors out of the litter]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': [[TheBigBadWolf Bigby Wolf]]  was the [[RuntAtTheEnd tiny runt]]  of his litter and [[BigBrotherBully his brothers]] called him The Big Bad Wolf [[IronicNickname to mock him]]. After his mother died and his brothers disbursed he was unable to protect his mother's body from scavengers so he made a vow that each thing he killed would be bigger than the last, this eventually caused him to grow into an [[CanisMajor elephant sized wolf]] that went on the kill hundreds and he even took his brothers insulting name [[AppropriatedAppellation as his own]].

* Many ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fans take Ozai's line about Zuko being "lucky to be born" literally. Thus it's {{fanon}} that Zuko was born premature.