30 years old is the IDEAL age

I think the ongoing logic is that in this type of medieval-adjacent setting, most people aren't expected to live past 50 or 60 (which is weird considering the existence of healing magic in almost every depiction but oh well), which, coupled with fewer options of higher education, drives down the age for labor-able individuals to a range that is considered prime even in our world (compare it to sports athletes, which tend to begin retirement after 30yo in most fields).

Yes, experience is a factor, but that's presumably why there's also a ranking system that tries to ensure that adventurers only tackle quests that are within their capability. However, some guy or gal in their 30's that has never done any adventuring would have no experience to begin with, which is the plot argument they're going with here, so they'd be behind in every sense compared to their contemporaries.

EDIT: Another thing to comment about the adventurer job title; in many modern fantasy/isekai stories, the occupation has been standardized just a placeholder for fantasy-odd-jobs that require fighting/exploration skills and many cover the idea of academies precisely because of that standardization. Some even cover the creation of such training facilities because of the high mortality rate of that profession (see Goblin Slayer) so I can see why it is a versatile world-building trope for many authors. Even in ones where adventuring is treated as just something you can do, certain specializations still have dedicated training systems whose purpose isn't to necessarily build students for the adventuring lifestyle but simply to teach them a specific trade (see all the churches for clerics or magic academies for magicians shown in so many, many stories).

if most of us are able to achieve something earlier,
sometimes, it's going to pressure the other to achieve the same.

Let say you are the only one in your circle who still doesn't get married. You might say that let's the life properly bloom itself but constantly behind every word there must a slight worries.

Didn't you just tell us to NOT take this stuff seriously? xD


....The reason why most protags in these Shows are 13-15 is not because that's the ideal age for adventuring....
It's because the people who watch this stuff are (usually) in that same age group. It's so they can identify with the main characters more, this way.
Same with the "school-esque" setting and all the rules presented to our heroes. It's because kids, who watch this, can relate.

Has nothing to do with logic^^
It's how this works.

@Merve2Love Yeah I know lol, it's just 'anime stuff.'

I'm pretty sure the producers know that viewers like me would be reacting in ways like "he's not that old!". But I just can't get over the absurdity of it, which I guess is what makes the show double-enjoyable.

Edit: This show also seems to try to target the ojisan demographic (I might be wrong

@W3TFT

Yeah, 13 is way too young an age in every aspect. At that age, kids are barely pulling out of puberty where growth hormones are just starting to take on full effect. A normal adult could take on anywhere from 3 to 5 13yos, whereas they could actually find it challenging against a single trained 16yo. The difference in strength, body mass, and stamina is way too vast between that 3-years difference.

I would argue that the ideal age to begin adventuring should be at least 15-16 starting on the lower ranks, so newbies can learn the ropes and be fully accustomed once they reach their twenties to balance out both having some experience and prime athletic age.

Prior to that, a dedicated education and/or training in a specific field in a controlled environment would be ideal, just so that they have at least all the basic skills before being sent out on the field to test them. At least for story settings in which such academic institutions exist.

That way, they can compensate the lack of real-life experiences with prowess, and, on the other hand compensate aging with experience as they enter their thirties or near their forties and fifties, matching real-world performance.

The negatives of beginning adventuring in your thirties is that you realistically will only have about one to two decades -tops- to rank up and take on the more exciting jobs, which by that time will be more challenging to tackle. The point or message, however, of shows like these, is to address the idea that it doesn't matter and it's never to late to take on your dreams even if you won't be able to do them for long. When you only have one life and a burning desire to do something, it is worth it to just do what you want even if you die trying because your knee hurts XD

So, contrary to what others have said here, the core message of this show isn't actually aimed at kids, but rather adults stuck in the mindset of not trying out new things because their prime years are long gone, using that as an excuse to remain inert.

Yup, the MC's in shows like these are typically special cases (worth making stories about) which do struggle against realistic adversity but still overcome regardless, but this isn't always gonna be the case for every other person in that world that shares their circumstances (we rarely see THOSE stories). In stories like this, it is not an actual matter of objective skill but a bureocratic meritocracy set in place (guilds) to ensure that adventurers don't just die pointlessly out there.

Everyone starts from the bottom, ranks have to be earned, and adventurers have to prove their worth; all of which takes time, and the higher ranks are almost always depicted as exponentially harder and harder to reach (which makes sense in these hellish fantasy worlds with dragons and demons and whatnot).

It is an actual career path, after all, even if the prospects for "growth" are more ambiguous. You could compare it to any other profession, such as being an artisan, a craftsman, a farmer... the earlier you begin, the easier it will be to perfect a skillset and build a reputation, but, eventually, your age will catch up to you and things that were as natural as breathing will begin to hinder your work aptitude.

The message still stands, tho, even if it does so by using "special" characters to deliver it. The idea isn't necessarily to be the best out there, but just to do the thing that best fulfills you within the limited time you are given. Even if you start out at your 90's, why live your last years with the lingering regret? That's at least what I interpret as the objective to be told; escapism and entertainment aside.

As a sidenote, I really like stories in this realm, in which the MC 'discovers' that a seemingly unrelated skill they have can be adapted and be put to use for their unrealistic goals, because it forces them to be creative and turn their disadvantages into strengths outside of the typical power-scaling tropes. Those cases were age-related experience is actually applied and where it is relevant that the character is mentally mature (or the isekai tensei kind where they don't toss it aside after ep1) are the most interesting to me. Raw talent is cool and all, but I'd prefer to see some plumber take on a River God with just their plumbing knowledge.