Basic Trope: A leader of a group who is very young compared to their subordinates.
- Straight: Hiro is the commander of the Ultra Fighters. He's around 16 while everyone else is in their late 20s.
- Exaggerated: Hiro's just a baby leading elderly men!
- Downplayed:
- While all the Ultra Fighters are adults in their 20s, Hiro is only 21 while everyone else is nearing their 30s.
- The Ultra Fighters are all adults in their 40s, but our story begins on Hiro's 40th birthday, and he was already the leader.
- Justified:
- The Ultra Fighters' previous leader, Mac, was abruptly killed, and Hiro has to fill his shoes due to being his second back when he was alive.
- Hiro is a Child Prodigy with a knack for commanding those older than him.
- The Ultra Fighters are or started as Hiro's Hired Guns.
- Inverted: Hiro is a Grumpy Old Man in charge of the Ultra Fighters, who are all teenagers.
- Subverted: Hiro seems to be much younger than his subordinates, but he's older than he looks.
- Double Subverted: He still has the naïveté and immaturity expected for a teenager, though.
- Parodied:
- Hiro combines Young and in Charge with Large and in Charge. He's either a normal-sized boy leading a team of adult Lilliputians, or a giant boy leading a team of normal-sized adults.
- Hiro is in a team where there is an inverse relationship between age and authority. Being only 16, he is assumed to have the flexibility to think outside the box in ways that anybody in their third decade and beyond wouldn't.
- Zig-Zagged: The Ultra Fighters alternate between making old Bob, middle-aged Mac, and young Hiro their leader.
- Averted: Hiro is in the same age range as his teammates.
- Enforced: Executive Meddling called for a Kid Hero to be the leader, even though it ran against what the showrunner had planned.
- Lampshaded: "You're a bit young to be leading these guys, aren't you?"
- Invoked: Mac, the Ultra Fighters' current leader, sets up a contingency plan so that Hiro can take over in case Mac dies or is incapacitated.
- Exploited: Dracone, leader of the Mega Monsters, sees Hiro is in charge and does his best to mock and needle him for his situation, insinuating his age won't make him as good as Mac.
- Defied: "Sorry, kid, but regulations prohibit giving you a command position at your age. Try again in a few years."
- Discussed: "Hiro's got leadership potential …" "Yeah, but have you seen this group? He'll be tearing his hair out before long."
- Conversed: "That's unfair. They set Bob up as the second-in-command of the Ultra Fighters!"
- Implied: No character's age is stated, not even by later Word of God or companion material, but Hiro looks younger than everyone else.
- Deconstructed:
- Continuing from Justified 1: Hiro fails to live up to Mac's example, as his youth and lack of experience means he can't coordinate the team as effectively, causing future missions to go sideways.
- The Ultra Fighters loved and respected Mac greatly. Seeing Hiro in his place incenses them, as it constantly reminds them of what they lost, and they don't much trust him, causing trouble when it comes time for them to get their act together.
- Hiro may be a bonafide One-Man Army leading a Badass Crew of Ultra Fighters, but his general youthfulness often translates to brashness and recklessness, at least in the PR game. When he finds out that there are Shell Shocked Veterans in the lower ranks and services, to say that he's outright incensed at their mistreatment (especially by the general public) would be an understatement, and after coming home from a particularly successful mission, Hiro goes on to calling out every citizen out there, screaming at them for how they treated the Shell Shocked Veterans, with all those maggots at the airport, protesting them, spitting; calling them "baby killer" and all kinds of vile crap. He's promptly dragged off by one of his team members, The Big Guy Billy, and this argument ensues:
Billy: What The Hell Hiro!? Couldn't you at least not mouth the off about classified information!? I know that those poor chumps who had to go through the most horrific atrocities out there are having to live with those nightmares and being spat on; I feel just as sorry about them as you do! I get your point, but that out there was not the way to go about it!Hiro: At least it's better to tell these ungrateful scumbags the Awful Truth! I don't care about what every last one of you would think about me spilling the truth, honesty is something I live for, damn it!Billy: THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Hiro, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.Hiro: Unlike you and the rest of the military, I've got the time and inclination to explain ourselves to the people who rise and sleep under the blanket of the very freedom we provide, and then question the manner in which we provide it! They need to know the truth, regardless if they can handle it or not! And who else is gonna tell them? You? Communications Officer Bob? We use words like 'Honor,' 'Code,' 'Loyalty!' We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. And those Ungrateful Bastards use them as a punchline!Billy: Well, we would rather have them tell us "Thank you" and went on your way. Do you think the general public would love being bashed over the head with their own awful truths!? No, they wouldn't! They'd rather be all be ignorant and blissful of our misery, and we can't just keep telling these people to not disrespect our lower ranked soldiers, as much as it pains me to say it!Hiro: Well how about they pick up a weapon, and stand at post? Either way, I don't give a damn what they think they're entitled to! - Reconstructed:
- Hiro isn't discouraged, however — he sees it as Training from Hell, and Mac taught him that even the best teams can fail from time to time. He uses this to mature himself and become the leader the Ultra Fighters need.
- Over time, the Ultra Fighters recognize just how much Hiro is suffering due to his position as Mac's replacement, and that their responses aren't helping. They collectively agree to dial it back and support Hiro, giving him a chance to earn their trust, which he manages to achieve, and they're able to fight effectively again.
- Played for Laughs: Despite being younger than everyone else, Hiro is the Beleaguered Boss who has to put up with their eccentricities and nonsense.
- Played for Drama: Hiro is constantly plagued with doubt over whether he can be as good as Mac, and having to juggle that and his allies' personalities (especially Jake, the Sixth Ranger with an attitude problem) stresses him greatly.
- Played for Horror: Despite his young age, Hiro is the cruellest and most amoral/immoral member of a gang of Evil Geniuses, making him the leader.
Wait, this kid is the leader of Young and in Charge? Are you kidding me?
