History Main / TagalongKid

TeamPet is the animal equivalent to this, RobotBuddy the artificial version. Together, tagalong kids, team pets, and robot buddies were an irritating staple of [[WesternAnimationOfThe1980s 1980s Saturday morning cartoons]], rendering many of them difficult to sit through today.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' plays with this trope. All of the members of the titular squad are technically children, but all have undergone [[RapidAging growth acceleration]] to bioligical adulthood -- sans Omega. Though competent in her own right, Omega is the only one of the squad who hasn't spent the last three years on the front lines of the Clone Wars, and is a bit less experienced and more naive. [[Spoiler:Further complicating this trope is the revelation that she's older than the other clones by at least a few years.

* For such a LongRunner, ''Manga/OnePiece'' has relatively few examples (disregarding filler arcs); the most prominent so far have been the Usopp Pirates from the Kuro arc, Aisa from Skypeia, Chimney (and Gonbe) from the CP-9 saga, and Momonosuke from the whole Pirate Alliance saga, and Tama and Toko in the Wano arc. Many times, these kids actually end up being very helpful to the protagonists, be it thanks to their powers (like Aisa, Momo, and Tama) or their information (the Usopp Pirates, Chimney, and Momo again).

* Ray Thompson, in the episode "Legends" from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. For the most part, he's a useless sidekick who cheers on the heroes featured in that episode, the Justice Guild. [[spoiler: The twist here is that the Guild and in fact the entire city are an illusion created by Ray, who in reality is a mutated psychic child living out his fantasies by warping the world to his whims.]]

* Max [=LeBlanc=] in ''WesternAnimation/NightHood''. Might also qualify as a child's version of a DistressedDude, due to getting into trouble every other episode and having Lupin come and save him. One episode revolved around him getting kidnapped and Lupin had to rob Fort Knox in order to get him back.

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* Bat from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', as well as Lin.
* Genki Saotome from ''Manga/GetterRobo''. Although he [[spoiler:was transformed in Kei saotome]] in Getter Robo Armageddon.
* Mayumi from ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'', [[TheHero Hiroshi's]] little sister. She was more endearing and more lovingly naive than her counterparts of other Creator/GoNagai works.
* Shiro Kabuto from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Anime/GreatMazinger''. ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' -the third series from the ''Mazinger trilogy'' -- also had a Tagalong Kid: Goro, Hikaru Makiba's little brother.
* Chibi-usa of ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' is one of the BrattyHalfPint variety.
* Mokuba Kaiba and Rebecca Hawkins of ''Anime/YuGiOh''
* Akira of the Shiseiten in ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo.''
* ''Manga/GetBackers'' offers a subversion in the form of [[TeenGenius 14-year-old MakubeX]], who in flashbacks is shown to be something of a tag-along to Ginji. But upon the latter's departure from their hometown, he goes on to become its ruler and has several adults working for him. Some of the said adults "tag along" for their own purposes, while the others are devoted followers who would go to the ends of the earth for him.
* Gimmy and Darry start out as Tagalong Kids in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. They do become major characters after the TimeSkip, but right at first they just stick around and watch the grownups do their thing.
* Clare is Teresa's Tagalong Kid in ''Manga/{{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 ''Anime/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.

* For such a LongRunner, ''Manga/OnePiece'' has relatively few examples (disregarding filler arcs); the most prominent so far have been the Usopp Pirates from the Kuro arc, Aisa from Skypeia, Chimney (and Gonbe) from the CP-9 saga, and Momonosuke from the whole Pirate Alliance saga, and Tama and Toko in the Wano arc. Many times, these kids actually end up being very helpful to the protagonists, be it thanks to their powers (like Aisa, Momo, and Tama) or their information (the Usopp Pirates, Chimney, and Momo again).
* In ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'', [[GenkiGirl Yotsuba]] is ''everyone's'' Tagalong Kid...when she's in the mood for it.
* [[CuteBruiser Goku]] of ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' has the personality and relationships of a BrattyHalfPint down pat -- but he's the closest thing the series has to a genuine hero, and it's his relationship with Sanzo/Konzen that is the impetus of...pretty much everything that happens in the plot.
* Alphonse Elric and May Chang in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' are barely teenagers, but they are both very skilled fighters. Alphonse happens to be a soul attached to a giant suit of armor, making him among the largest and toughest characters. May is a user of the Xingese art of alkahestry, a variant of alchemy that becomes vitally useful at a few points in the story.
* Shiro Takaoji in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''. Honey looks like he should be, but he's [[OlderThanTheyLook actually the oldest member of the club]] and [[BewareTheNiceOnes a martial arts master]].
* Mamoru in ''Anime/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 / {{Throwing Down the Gauntlet}} moment in episode 40.
-->'''Mamoru:''' Fight me, Primevals!
** In fact, by the time ''FINAL'' rolls around, Mamoru has arguably [[TookALevelInBadass Taken a Level in]] KidHero; when he reappears late in the series, his purification abilities have gained [[HolyHandGrenade some real destructive power]], he gets his own FinalBattle with one of the Sol Masters, and his ultimate {{Determinator}} moment in said battle empowered the rest of the team's G-Stones when the good guys were on the knife's edge of defeat. The series would almost certainly have had a DownerEnding if Mamoru hadn't been there and hadn't been as badass as he was.
* Max from the ''Advance'' seasons of ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}''.
** Team Rocket got a Tagalong Kid in the Sinnoh Arc, in the form of James' Mime Jr.
** Bonnie in the Kalos arc.
* In ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', little brother Spritle and his monkey Chim-Chim were constantly stowing away in the Mach 5's trunk.

* Chiru from ''Anime/{{Xabungle}}''... by that show's standards.
* Antonio from ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', though he's quite GenreSavvy and competent as well.

* Nieble from ''Manga/RaveMaster'' is introduced as a child Sieg knows who instantly starts following him around. Once [[spoiler: Sieg passes away]] he ends up with Belnika at all times.
* Rua from ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' is this to the main team. He's the same age as his twin sister, Ruka, but not having any Signer powers he tends to default to this role. [[spoiler:Much later on he TookALevelInBadass and becomes a Signer himself.]]
* Kosuke Kita from ''Anime/CombattlerV'' and Hiyoshi Go from ''Anime/VoltesV''. Both are TheSmartGuy and underaged.
* In ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'''s main narrative, Takamichi is a BadassTeacher and ReasonableAuthorityFigure who acts as a mentor to Negi and outside help to his group, the Ala Alba. In flashbacks, he was the Tagalong Kid for Negi's father's group, the Ala Rubra.
* Son Gohan of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' starts off as this in the early arcs, [[spoiler:only to invert it in the Cell arc when he becomes the most powerful character in the story]]. After Gohan grows up, [[CheerfulChild Goten]] and [[BrattyHalfPint Trunks]] share the role.
** Gohan is more of an UnbuiltTrope because [[ReluctantHero he was never a "tag-along" to begin with]].
* Capella of ''Manga/ZeroSevenGhost'' becomes this after Teito and Frau rescue him from slavery. [[spoiler:He later leaves the group when he is reunited with his mother.]]

** In ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' we had Tommy/Tomoki, a crybaby 9 year old for the first few episodes before starting to stand up for himself as a fighter.

* [[CloudcuckooLander Edward]] is this in ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', as nobody actually intended for her to join the crew after she helped them out once. She also fills the role of [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Guy]].
* David in ''Anime/BloodPlus'' sees Kai and Riku as this. Riku [[spoiler: [[OutWithABang is raped and killed]] by Diva]]. Post-timeskip, Kai [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] and proceeds to make himself useful.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** Shippo. After his father is killed, Kagome decides to let him come along with her and Inuyasha on their adventures.
** Sesshomaru has his own tagalong kid/MoralityPet in the form of [[CheerfulChild Rin]].
* Yuli/Jun in ''Anime/RoninWarriors''[=/=]''Yoroiden Samurai Troopers''.
* In ''Anime/GallForce'', Mitty. However, her knowledge of [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer air ducts and sewer systems]] as a {{Delinquent}} [[PlotTailoredToTheParty proves useful]] to the military.
* Wendy of ''Manga/FairyTail'' started to become this to series' resident FiveManBand Team Natsu shortly after joining Fairy Tail, and while she is a de facto member now, considered equal with the others in-universe, she is still largely a Tagalong Kid to the readers. She has since graduated to being TheChick, sharing this role with Lucy, who also spends time as TheSmartGuy.
* Cattleya's son Rana in ''Anime/QueensBlade'', who turns himself into a MoralityPet for Airi after [[spoiler:his mother is petrified]].
* The main cast of ''Anime/HighschoolOfTheDead'' thinks it's perfectly safe to run around killing zombies with a little girl in tow. Though to be fair, Alice probably ''really is'' a lot safer with them than [[CrapsackWorld anywhere else in the world]].

* The Selfish Trio from ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' has Ira, a villainous example. Unlike his teammates, he relies on brute strength instead of smart plans. Even the MonstersOfTheWeek he summons are usually dumb and simple.
* [[MadeOfIron Sealand]] of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' usually ends up as this when he tries to involve himself in the affairs of the ''real'' nations. He generally gets chased off because nobody is willing to recognize him. He almost managed the obligatory one-time-Tagalong Kid-rescue in TheMovie, but [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments nobody acknowledges him then either]].

* Suika in ''Manga/DrStone'' is easily the youngest member of the Kingdom of Science, though has her own useful abilities as a stealth expert. [[spoiler:She grows out of this when she's the only hero left alive to unpetrify everyone else.]]

* ''ComicBook/AllNewUltimates'': After meeting Dagger and that other guy, Ganke asked Miles to an honorary member of the team, or something like that. He didn't even got an answer.
* ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' vol. 2 has a strange zigzagged semi-subversion in Kid Loki, who appears to be about 10-12 as opposed to the 17-21 of the rest of the team. He's clearly [[TheSmartGuy very bright and knowledgeable]], if [[LovableTraitor clearly untrustworthy]], but he has a bratty personality and self-deprecatingly calls himself "comic relief" due to his habit of PowerStrainBlackout. [[spoiler: He's also essentially an adult mentally -- the result of the dead adult Loki's centuries of memories overwriting the mind of the original child Loki, resulting in a third person torn between his villainous impulses and his conscience. Later in the series run, he acquires a new 20-something body, courtesy of resident RealityWarper Billy, and his behavior becomes somewhat more mature to match.]]

%%* Woody in ''Animation/SkyBlue''. He suffers.

* Private is seen by the others (especially Skipper) as a cute version of this in ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar''. Somewhat justified when he was a newly-hatched chick, but not after he's fully grown.

* Frankie Muniz's character in ''Film/StayAlive''.
* It seems to be a "rule" of the ''Film/JurassicPark'' series that the main characters must always be accompanied by at least one kid. ''Jurassic Park'' kids tend to be TheLoad most of the time, but will nevertheless probably have a ChekhovsSkill which will prove useful about once in their film.
* Kid from ''Six-String Samurai''. Yes, Kid is actually his name.

* In ''Film/NightSchool2018'', Mila is basically this for the rest of the night school students, as the rest of the students are all adults taking their GED after dropping out of high school for various reasons while Mila is a juvenile delinquent attending on the insistence of her parents.
* Defied in ''Film/IronMan3''. Tony Stark brushes away Harley in his attempts to bring him so he can keep him safe from danger.
-->'''Harley:''' So now you're just gonna leave me here, [[DisappearedDad just like my dad?]]\\
'''Tony:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' [[BluntYes Yep.]]

* Minya from the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies could be considered this for Godzilla and his allies, most notably in ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' where he spends most of the story on the sidelines while the other monsters are mind controlled by aliens and later battle King Ghidorah.

* ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968:'' Lucius is a younger Ape who is constantly critiquing the older generation and accompanies Taylor, Nova, Cornelius , and Zira on their quest in the final act, acting as a lookout during the climax.
* In ''Film/ShredderOrpheus'', Razoreus is the youngest of the prominent Grey Zone citizens and looks up to Orpheus like an older brother. [[spoiler:He's the most devastated by far when Orpheus dies.]]

* [[spoiler:Lupine Wonse]] is a literal Tagalong Kid in ''Literature/GuardsGuards''; he was TheSmartGuy in their street gang mostly to stop them beating him when they got bored. 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.
* Allie in ''Literature/BonesOfFaerie''.
* ''Literature/DocWilde'', a ''Franchise/DocSavage'' parody, brings his kids with him on his adventures. He's been raising them to be just like him.

* [[PluckyComicRelief Gavroche]] in ''Literature/LesMiserables'' is this to the students at the barricade, though unlike most Tagalong Kids, he is a core part of the group, and an invaluable asset from the start. There is also some Deconstruction at work, as several of the rebels are reluctant and uncomfortable with having a comrade-in-arms who hasn't reached puberty. [[spoiler: He is killed collecting bullets, DefiantToTheEnd.]]
* Adam's younger brother James in Literature/ShatterMe who he and Juliette have no choice but to take on the run with them to stop Warner from harming him.
* "Runt" in ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}'' is the little brother to Zane's host. Zane [[RefusalOfTheCall refuses to leave the herd]] at first until he's kicked out to fetch Runt. Then he encounters the other formerly human characters, and he can't leave the little guy alone, so...
* Murky of [[Literature/OrigamiYoda the Origami Yoda series]] is this. He mostly just hangs around with his older friends and makes comments.
* In ''Literature/RachelGriffin'', the PowerTrio is by the second book officially comprised of ''four'' members, with the addition of [[TheKirk Nastasia's]] {{fangirl}} Joy O'Keefe, who insists on coming and can't [[StayInTheKitchen politely]] be excluded.
* Tailchaser from ''Literature/TailchasersSong'' intended to go on his journey alone. Early on he noticed that Pouncequick, an orphaned kitten peer of his, was following him. Tailchaser didn't have the nerve to send the kitten back through the dangerous forest all alone, so he let Pouncequick tag along. Tailchaser soon finds that he prefers having company on his task. Pouncequick is TheHeart[=/=]CheerfulChild variety.

* ''Series/CaseyJones'': Casey Junior usually dresses like his father in a junior version of his Dad's engineer's uniform. He's a good kid, who actually managed to save the day in the first episode. As a result, Junior and his dog Cinders are made honourary engineers ''and'' get a free pass on the railroad for life. Junior often wants to ride with his father, and sometimes does, but he also has to go to school. Sometimes, a trip is just too dangerous and Casey Jones tells his son to stay home. As such, Junior avoids being TheLoad. A couple of times he does sneak along, for example he tries to hide aboard the baggage car when a phony Secret Service Agent denies him the opportunity to meet President Chester A. Arthur. Even there, though, Junior helps save the day. The supervising secret service agent discovers the imposter, as ''he and President Arthur had sent instructions that Junior was to be allowed aboard the train''.
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Benny Romero in the last season. In "Geraldine", he stowsaway aboard the trailer Miss Brooks, Mr. Boynton and Mr. Munsee are taking to Arizona.

* River Tam on ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. She has a much bigger role in the movie.

* Justin in ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' is literally a kid who tagged along and was given Ranger Powers. For reasons that are never adequately explained in the series, [[StockFootage he morphs into a fully grown adult blue Ranger]], unless he takes off his helmet, which shrinks him down to his normal size until he puts it back on.
%%* Robin's younger brother Much from ''Series/{{Robin of Sherwood}}''.
* Kate from ''Series/RobinHood''. Her age was unclear, yet the [[DawsonCasting thirty-year-old actress]] seemed to be channeling a bratty teenage girl.
%%* Des from ''Series/{{Republic of Doyle}}''.

%%* Dustin in ''Series/{{Zoey 101}}''
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'': Boxey ends up being this in "Gun At Ice Planet Zero" and "The Magnificent Warriors" but contributes a little in "Fire In Space", thought Muffit proves more useful.
* Gary's little brother Tucker on Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark.

* ''Series/{{Thunderstone}}'' has Chip, who is the youngest of the main cast at maybe 10 years old. He wants to go out on adventures but is told to stay back as he's "too young to keep up". He really should heed this advice, as his attempts to sneak out and prove himself as useful almost always end with him getting captured or, on one occasion, trapped in quicksand.
* Mimoso Ratón in ''Series/OdiseaBurbujas'', a baby mouse.

* ''Series/EerieIndiana'': Simon is very much the tagalong kid to Marshall, who is about four years older than him, during their paranormal investigations. In "The Dead Letter", this is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] during Marshall's dream when Simon says, "I'm tired of being second banana on this show." A confused Marshall asks himself, "[[LeaningOnTheFourthWall What show?]]"
* ''Series/DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, Five is the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being [[AmnesiacHero mindwiped]]. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter, and the crew voted 3/2 to keep her because she was good with machines]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', winning all Arena matches saddles you with the "Adoring Fan", a small boy who follows you around gushing about your deeds. However, he is a coward and will not fight when you are being attacked, making him wholly useless.

* Adell's younger siblings, Taro and Hanako, from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' fill this role, while also acting as ThoseTwoGuys for the party. Taro and Hanako double as TheBigGuy (gameplay-wise) and TheSmartGuy (story-wise), respectively.

* Pearl from ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', who, in the second game, is pretty much Maya when the latter's unavailable.
* By exploiting a glitch, you can get six-year-old Bumble to tag along after you throughout ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''.
* Aila to Geddoe's mercenary group in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'', at least in the mercenaries' opinion. She ''was'' a warrior in her [[DoomedHometown home village]], but is still young and naive compared to the rest, and at the end of the game [[spoiler:Geddoe doesn't let her join the group officially, but he does let her stay around, making her an official Tagalong Kid]].
* Ken Amada from ''VideoGame/Persona3'' who fits the AdorablyPrecociousChild trope to a T. He most idealistic of the group, and in battle serves as a CombatMedic, with emphasis on the OneHitKO [[LightEmUp Hama]] skills. [[spoiler: However, this is post-CharacterDevelopment after he gives up his vendetta against a party member who [[YouKilledMyFather killed]] [[AccidentalMurder (accidentally)]] [[YouKilledMyFather his mother.]]]]
* Riki from ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1''. All the other party members have a good reason for wanting to fight [[MechanicalMonster the Mechon]], be it to avenge or to rescue loved ones. Riki suffered none of these problems and is pretty much roped into going along with them. Of course, that's not to say he's just TheLoad, [[PintSizedPowerhouse far from it!]]
** Riki has many debts because of his dozens of kids, [[OnlyInItForTheMoney so if he saves the world people will idolize him and he would become rich.]] He is the tag-along kid just in spirit, ironically, [[{{Manchild}} Riki is the oldest member of the party.]]

* Toad plays this role in certain ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' games, including ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''.
* Exaggerated quite stupendously in ''VideoGame/FurFighters''. Tweek the baby dragon is only ''one day old'' before the events of the game force him to take up arms alongside his older war veteran buddies. In other words, he ReallyWasBornYesterday.

* Pipin from ''VideoGame/TreasureOfTheRudra''. He is found lost in the Great Forest in Riza's scenario, and he initially bosses her and Garlyle and tries to distract her away from her goal of purifying the world. However, not only does he stay until the end of her scenario, but he is also [[spoiler: able to reunite with the Leader of the hidden village, his original goal, and at the perfect time for their party revive Foxy in Sion's scenario.]]
* Grapefruit Cookie, the CheerfulChild and youngest member of the Citrus Squad from ''VideoGame/CookieRun''. While she is part of the gang, she isn't really participated within some of their activities, since they're "ball games".

-->'''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''.
* In ''Webcomic/RescuingDara'', Dara has to come along with the team for their plan to work, and she does help [[http://www.espetrellcomics.com/rescuingdara/?p=348 sometimes]], but she still is this trope.

* Donny has this role in ''Webcomic/EarsForElves''. Much to Tanna's despair (since she has to look after him), he's also a CheerfulChild.

* Matt, Leo and Mark in the first season of ''Literature/OmegaGuardians''. Andy could also count as well, even though he was treated an equal part of the team depending on the episode.

* Dil of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. One episode revolves around the older babies giving him an initiation into "the big babies".
* Hiroki and Johnny in the later seasons of ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''.
* Enzo in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', at least the first few seasons.
* Ray Thompson, in the episode "Legends" from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. For the most part, he's a useless sidekick who cheers on the heroes featured in that episode, the Justice Guild. [[spoiler: The twist here is that the Guild and in fact the entire city are an illusion created by Ray, who in reality is a mutated psychic child living out his fantasies by warping the world to his whims.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': Tails, which provides for some CharacterDevelopment as he trains under his BigBrotherMentor to become a more effectual Freedom Fighter.

* Sari, for the first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'' episode "The Legion of Super Writers" has Loud Kiddington play this role to the team of the episode's title.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'':
** Frosta is the youngest member of the Princess Alliance at eleven and three quarters, and is frequently treated differently from the others of the team.
** In "Launch", this gets inverted: Entrapta, a woman of 25-35 years old who is also the shortest of the Princesses alongside the aforementioned 12-year-old Frosta, is the one who has to be kept on a child leash by the other Princesses lest she wander off into danger.

* Spinner in the ''WesternAnimation/ClutchCargo'' cartoon series. Why did Clutch need to look after a little boy anyway?
* The Thunderkittens in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011''. They do have some useful skills.

** Played cutely straight in the openings of seasons 1-3, where Twilight easily jumps out of the balloon basket, but Spike has to climb out and run after her.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'':
** [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], with the added twist that [[OlderAlterEgo nobody realizes that he's a kid]]. The team assumes he's spying on them for the Justice League, when in reality he's an AscendedFanboy hanging out with his real age group.
** Snapper Carr, the quintessential example in DC Comics, is confirmed to have been this in the past, until he did something really stupid that tipped the Joker off about their secret base. But today he's graduated to teacher at the school that Megan and Connor attend, and occasional MissionControl. For bonus points, two of his students are Marvin and Wendy, another quintessential example of this trope from [[WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}} DC media]] (though they never play this role in the show).
* Howleen Wolf of ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHigh'', especially in the ''Fright On!'' special. She often deals with her wish to be treated less like her siblings' tagalong but wanting to be like them at the same time.
* Apple Dumplin' from ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'' in the 2003 series.
* Toad in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3''.
** Let's not forget the other tagalong of the Mario Bros., which is Oogtar in ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld''.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is an odd example where this character is the protagonist--it centers around a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-magical]] [[KidSidekick kid]] who lives with the Crystal Gems, a team of magical guardians whom his mother used to be a part of. He actually holds a great deal of fear that he'll never become powerful enough to be ''anything'' but this trope, and forever live in his mother's shadow. By the end of the first season, however, he's matured into TheHeart.
* ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina'' has Henry, Angelina's younger cousin, as the tagalong in the original books and the 2002 series. Polly, Angelina's little sister, takes over this role in the 2009 CGI series.
* On ''Literature/MaxAndRuby'', Max is often this, though probably at least half the time he'd rather ''not'' be because he's been dragged along to whatever girly activity Ruby and her friends are doing.
* ''WesternAnimation/IvanhoeTheKingsKnight'': Being old enough to be Ivanhoe and Rowena's daughter and three years younger than Wamba, Rebecca most certainly qualifies. "The Four Black Knights" shows the negative parts of this trope when Rebecca tagging along nearly costs Harold his life.
* ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' has pre-teen orphan Kshin (a young protege of Mandrake the Magician) who, especially in early episodes, is [[TheTeamWannabe keen to prove himself as a Defender]], but regularly gets into trouble because of his [[ChildrenAreInnocent naivety]]. He does occasionally help to save the day, though.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' has Mindy, a 4 (later 5) year old girl who loves to tag along on Jet's adventures and is ConstantlyCurious. However, in Season 1, she couldn't go to space because she was 4 and her mom wouldn't let her go anywhere past Jet's yard. [[spoiler: In Season 2, she turns 5 and finally gets to go to space]].
* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': Jade Chan, who likes to tag along with her uncle Jackie Chan on adventures no matter how many times she gets scolded or grounded for it.

* RealityIsUnrealistic -- The Iwakura Mission of Meiji-era Japan was a Japanese tour of the world intended to help the country modernize, so that it would be able to compete with the Western nations. Because it was a mission of modernization, almost all the passengers were adults, who were sent off to study at Western universities so they could use that knowledge to improve their own country. Yet despite this, one of the passengers was [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuda_Umeko Tsuda Umeko]], a ''six-year-old girl''. She was dropped off in the United States and taken in by an American couple to be educated there, but the fact that she was there at all is bizarre considering the mission's purpose. (It is possible that this is the reason there are so many examples of this trope in Japanese works, but more likely than not that is just because of Japan's [[UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} cultural obsession with cuteness]], which ironically [[NewerThanTheyThink did not exist in Tsuda's time]].)

* For such a LongRunner, ''Manga/OnePiece'' has relatively few examples (disregarding filler arcs); the most prominent so far have been the Usopp Pirates from the Kuro arc, Aisa from Skypeia, Chimney (and Gonbe) from the CP-9 saga, and Momonosuke from the Pirate Alliance saga.

* Riki from ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}''. All the other party members have a good reason for wanting to fight [[MechanicalMonster the Mechon]], be it to avenge or to rescue loved ones. Riki suffered none of these problems and is pretty much roped into going along with them. Of course, that's not to say he's just TheLoad, [[PintSizedPowerhouse far from it!]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Puyo Puyo Tetris]]'', Jay and Elle are the youngest members of the Starship Tetra's team and don't seem to have an official position in the crew whereas the rest of the group does. Jay and Elle are also TricksterTwins who love pulling mean pranks on others, especially the Tetra's engineer Ai. Averted in ''Puyo Puyo Tetris 2'', where they demonstrate their importance via their ability to find anything and anyone they want, even across dimensions.

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, Five is the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being [[AmnesiacHero mindwiped]]. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter, and the crew voted 3/2 to keep her because she was good with machines]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, Five is the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being [[LaserGuidedAmnesia mindwiped]]. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter, and the crew voted 3/2 to keep her because she was good with machines]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, Five is the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter, and the crew voted 3/2 to keep her because she was good with machines]].

* Conan Edogawa of ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' was first considered by the Detective Boys as such, but... [[TeenGenius his intelligence]] could hardly be covered.

* [[PluckyComicRelief Gavroche]] in ''Literature/LesMiserables'' is this to the students at the barricade. [[spoiler: He is killed collecting bullets, DefiantToTheEnd.]]

* Sheila's younger brother Bobby, from the animated ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'', is a Tagalong Kid of the CuteBruiser variety.

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, she's the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter, and the crew voted 3/2 to keep her because she was good with machines]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, she's the only one without a wanted file in the ship's database and it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EveryonesBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius and EverybodysBabySister of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter]].

* ''DarkMatter'': Five, the TeenGenius of the group. Also in an in-universe sense, it's unclear at first why there was a girl her age on a ship full of hardened criminals prior to them all being mindwiped. Kidnapping victim? Stowaway? [[spoiler:It's the latter]].

* ''Oh No! It's an Alien Invasion'' has S.W.E.E.T. leader Nate's little sister Lily.

* Shiro in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
** Honey looks like he should be, but he's [[OlderThanTheyLook actually the oldest member of the club]] and [[BewareTheNiceOnes a martial arts master]].

** In ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' we had Tommy/Tomoki.

* Vaan in ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXII'' -- a bit unusual in that he's the viewpoint character. Gameplay-wise (and keeping in mind that there's a large amount of GameplayAndStoryIntegration) Vaan is out and out the best character on the team, assuming you use him at all. This would seem to imply that Vaan is a [[TheBigGuy monster killing machine]] the team fortunately has lying around.
** Later games show Vaan has gone into business as a [[ImpossibleThief god-like thief]] and have him be a skilled enough fighter to hold off a PhysicalGod for a long time. So, the FFXII team probably [[MagikarpPower didn't know what they had on their hands]]. As incidental as Vaan's inclusion on the team maybe, he's probably the single most powerful weapon at their disposal, if not instrumental to their success.
** Vaan can be best described as an "[[TheAce Ace]]-in-training". You know how in fiction, really skilled Rouge-type or heroic type characters come from dirt-poor backgrounds? Well, that's Vaan. In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXII'' he's still very young, but clearly has a lot of potential, while ''Revenant Wings'' shows us how he went from Street Brat to the swashbucler we see in later games.
** Penelo went through a similar change. She played an even less of a role in Final Fantasy XII than Vaan did and her only purpose for tagging along was to make sure Vaan was staying out of trouble since he was the only family she had left. Her role was expanded upon in the spinoffs, but she's still mostly portrayed as Vaan's partner who makes sure he doesn't cause too much trouble.

* Hope in ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is a civilian that was unlucky enough to be caught up in the Purge. He stubbornly follows [[TheHero Lightning]] for the bulk of the game. Unlike some kids, he's incredibly useful, because he has the [[SquishyWizard highest magic stat]] in the game.

** Jonny Quest himself, in the original ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' cartoon. When he aged up to teenhood in the later series ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', he was much more actively involved in the adventures. Though he got into many scrapes as a kid, too.