The Mysterious Case of Infantile Amnesia in Fiction

In various forms of media, there are instances where characters have memories from their infancy or early childhood, defying the conventional understanding of infantile amnesia. This phenomenon has been explored in several anime, manga, and other stories. In this article, we'll delve into some examples where characters' memories from their early years play a significant role.

One notable example is the anime series Love Hina, where Soyuz, a villager, has perfect recall of his arrival in the village and even his father's face despite both events happening when he was an infant. Another instance can be found in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where Link has a flashback to his mother taking him to the Great Deku Tree as an infant.

The supernatural elements in YuYu Hakusho also allow for Hiei to see and hear before he was born and understand what's happening around him even as a newborn. His memories include the song his mother hummed while she was still pregnant with him, which ultimately helps him figure out that Isabella is his mother.

In other examples, Ray from The Promised Neverland has this condition, which allows him to uncover the truth about the orphanage he's living in. Astral from Yugioh Zexal also recovers memories of his own birth, while Medaka and Zenkichi from Medaka Box first met each other when they were two years old and have distinct memories of their encounter.

The anime series 20th Century Boys features Kanna who can remember being held as a baby, although there's some implied memory manipulation or repression involved. Den-noh Coil also explores the concept of gaps in memory from an incident that occurred when its main characters were around seven years old.

Lastly, the Dragon Ball Z series has mentioned Saiyans' ability to recall their entire lives, including their infancy. The villainous Frieza even has a deep hatred for Goku because his crying bothered him when they were newborns.

These examples showcase how infantile amnesia is often disregarded in fiction, allowing characters to possess memories from their early years. While this concept may not be based on real-life experiences, it can add depth and interest to a story by exploring the complexities of human memory and perception.

Lack of infantile amnesia