Being a child gives you a certain sort of immunity.
Not immunity to pain, to harm, or to sickness. Nothing like that.
No, as a child, you are immune to fear.
That, you may think, is untrue, because surely children are the most fearful of all humans. They are afraid of everything, the dark, monsters, bad men, and any other number of things. But what do children say, when you ask them why they are afraid, why they are crying out for protection?
The monster is under the bed or in the closet. The bad men are waiting close by. The dark is all around the nightlight. And what will happen if they are left alone? The monsters, the bad men, the dark, these forces of evil will get them. But get them and do what?
That's it. The evil things will get them and that is all. What happens once they are got, the child doesn't know. They assume it will hurt and shy away from the pain, but they are most afraid of being got.
So, you see, children are immune to fear, more specifically, children are immune to the fear of death.
Genkai tried to explain this, as Kurama patiently defeated the boy.
The idea that he could die, that death was a real thing, shocked the young Gamemaster into immobility.
And he grew up. In that time, that short time before his defeat, his mind matured and he called out for someone to please save him. He didn't know. And then…
Children don't know Death.
Until they meet him first hand, his cold boney grip firm against cooling skin.
I was rewatching Yu Yu Hakusho for the first time in years yesterday and I came upon the episode where Kurama defeats the Gamemaster.
I really thought it was kind of cruel hearted and got inspired.