History ActionGirl / LiveActionFilms

* Selene in ''{{Underworld}}'', played by Kate Beckinsale.

* Judge Hershey in ''Film/JudgeDredd''. She gets into a CatFight with Dr. Ilsa Hayden.

* We have (arguably) yet to have a true ''JamesBond'' ActionGirl, though Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) from ''TomorrowNeverDies'' and Giacinta/Jinx (HalleBerry) from ''DieAnotherDay'' come close.
** Some other girls ''do'' have their ActionGirl moments, though: HotAmazon May Day (Grace Jones) from ''{{A View to a Kill}}'', TheArcher Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) from ''ForYourEyesOnly'', Countess Teresa "Tracy" [=DiVincezo=] (Diana Rigg a.k.a. Emma Peel from ''Series/TheAvengers'') from ''[=~On Her Majesty's Secret Service~=]'', Japanese spy Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) from ''YouOnlyLiveTwice'', CIA agent Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) in ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'', and Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) from ''DiamondsAreForever.''

* RobinHood's daughter Gwyn in ''PrincessOfThieves'', played by KeiraKnightley. This was the role where she learned the archery skills that she later used in ''Film/KingArthur''.

* Laurie Strode became one of these in ''{{Halloween}}: H20''. Not only did she spend most of the movie protecting the other characters from Michael Myers, she also ends up [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted turning the tables]] on Myers and hunting him down with an axe.

** Some other girls ''do'' have their ActionGirl moments, though: HotAmazon May Day (Grace Jones) from ''{{A View to a Kill}}'', TheArcher Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) from ''ForYourEyesOnly'', Countess Teresa "Tracy" [=DiVincezo=] (Diana Rigg a.k.a. Emma Peel from ''Series/TheAvengers'') from ''[=~On Her Majesty's Secret Service~=]'', Japanese spy Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) from ''YouOnlyLiveTwice'', CIA agent Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) in ''{{Moonraker}}'', and Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) from ''DiamondsAreForever.''

* The titular character from ''{{Hanna}}''.

* Smurfette, normally the DistressedDamsel in ''TheSmurfs'' cartoon show, is promoted to this in [[{{Film/The Smurfs}} the live-action movie]].

** In ''{{Alien}}s'', Ellen Ripley was slowly converted from a FinalGirl into an early example of the Action Girl. Her performance earned her an oscar nomination and the number 8 spot on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Heroes_and_Villains AFI's Greatest Heroes list]]. We also see Vasquez, a butch latino action girl.

** In ''{{Alien}}s'', Ellen Ripley was slowly converted from a FinalGirl into an Action Girl. Her performance earned her an oscar nomination and the number 8 spot on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Heroes_and_Villains AFI's Greatest Heroes list]]. We also see Vasquez, a butch latino action girl.

* JamesCameron [[AuthorAppeal likes]] to write Action Girls into his films:
** In ''{{Alien}}s'', Ellen Ripley was slowly converted from a FinalGirl into an Action Girl. We also see Vasquez, a more butch action girl.

* Zoe in ''{{Firefly}}'' and Inara AND even [[spoiler: [[TookALevelInBadass Kaylee]], after Simon starts talking to her about possible future sex.]] How does nobody remember Inara's epic [[spoiler: dart-bow-gun thing?!]]
** And that's not even mentioning River. While for most of the series she is the ultimate {{Woobie}}, when she decides to [[LetsGetDangerous get dangerous]], you do NOT want to fuck with her. She's scarily good at putting bullets between bad guys' eyes without even looking in the original series, she wiped out an entire bar when her kung fu assassin training got unlocked in ''{{Film/Serenity}}'', and she singlehandedly [[spoiler:slaughtered a whole cargo bay full of Reavers in a moment of pure awesome to protect the crew during the climax]].

* Laurie Strode became one of these in ''{{Halloween}}: H20''. Not only did she spend most of the movie protecting the other characters from Michael Myers, she also ends up [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted turning the tables]] on Michael Myers and hunting him down with an axe.

* Nadia from ''{{Pandorum}}'' and is a bit of a DarkActionGirl in the earlier part of the film.

* Rose [=McGowan=]'s role in ''[[{{Grindhouse}} Planet Terror]]'' redefined the ActionGirl for the next few years at least.

[[/folder]]

* Fox, played by Angelina Jolie, in ''{{Wanted}}''.

* Emma Peel of ''TheAvengers''.

** Some other girls ''do'' have their ActionGirl moments, though: HotAmazon May Day (Grace Jones) from ''{{A View to a Kill}}'', TheArcher Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) from ''ForYourEyesOnly'', Countess Teresa "Tracy" [=DiVincezo=] (Diana Rigg a.k.a. Emma Peel from ''TheAvengers'') from ''[=~On Her Majesty's Secret Service~=]'', Japanese spy Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) from ''YouOnlyLiveTwice'', CIA agent Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) in ''{{Moonraker}}'', and Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) from ''DiamondsAreForever.''

[[folder:Literature]]
* Anne Westfeld from ''Reality Check'' by Charlie Brooks. They don't call her Sister Machinegun for nothing.
* Action Girls were popular in classical literature. Examples include the goddesses Athena (LadyOfWar) and Artemis (TheArcher), Penthesilea the Amazon Queen who appeared ancient epic cycles (and later Kleist's play) and Camilla in Virgil's ''TheAeneid''. The popularity of Amazon women waned in Middle Ages, but they were to make a comeback in Renaissance epic in the form of female knights such as Bradamante and Marfisa in Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso'', Clorinda in Tasso's ''Gerusalemme Liberata'', and Belphoebe, Britomart, and Palladine in Spenser's ''TheFaerieQueene''. In the latter poem, Spenser laments the scarcity of Action Girls in his own time and bids females to start kicking ass again as they did in the old days (because he knew Queen Elizabeth would appreciate it).
* Sharrow in [[IainMBanks Iain M. Banks']] ''{{Against a Dark Background}}''.
* Novelist ChristopherBrookmyre's kung fu cop, Angelique de Xavia. She kills terrorists with her bare hands, and responds to the {{Big Bad}}'s expository speech by [[spoiler:shooting him in the spine and then cutting out his eye to use on a retinal scanner]]. She's also technically a ViolentGlaswegian, especially considering she's a Rangers fan, but since she's about five feet tall and of south Asian ancestry you might not realise it to look at her.
** Jane Fleming was no slouch either.
* Ellie Quinn and Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan from {{Lois McMaster Bujold}}'s ''VorkosiganSaga'', although Cordelia seems to have retired after the events of ''Barrayar'', at least in terms of physical arse-kicking.
* In Jim Butcher's ''TheDresdenFiles'':
** Karrin Murphy with (particularly in early books) a bit of TheLancer thrown in. As she is the BadassNormal, she can have trouble with some of the things that she has to face, but after a while, she learns the rules for battling things, and kicks ass.
*** TheLancer disappeared in the recent books, as Murphy begins to out-badass everyone in every book. Including Harry.
** [[spoiler: Susan Rodriguez]], after she [[spoiler: was turned demi-vamp in Grave Peril and joined the Brotherhood of St. Giles against the Red Court]].
** Miss Gard. A Valkyrie with a penchant for firearms.
** Lara Raith at times. She's TheVamp [[IncrediblyLamePun in every sense]], but she's also quick to kick ass when need be. She takes the lead and guards the rear in a super-ghoul attack, even if she does have to be badgered into it by Harry, and in a later book she arrives on the battlefield by jumping out of a helicopter, and [[spoiler:eats her cousin ''while on fire'']].
* Velvet in DavidEddings' ''TheMalloreon''. She kills one enemy in ''Demon Lord of Karanda'' by ''throwing a viper in his face''.
** The viper is 'very' annoyed.
* Just about every important female character in ''{{The Wheel of Time}}''.
* Susan, Lucy, and Jill are like this when they're in [[TheChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]]
* [[HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] is the wizarding world's resident BadassBookworm. [[MagicalGirlWarrior Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood]] also have their moments, and so does Ginny's mom Molly.
* Captain Holly Short and Juliet Butler (on occasion) in ''ArtemisFowl''. Juliet is more of a CuteBruiser, Holly Short a FairCop, among other things.
* Kahlan in Terry Goodkind's ''{{The Sword of Truth}}'' series and even more so in ''{{Legend of the Seeker}}''.
** And Cara. And by extension the rest of the Mord-Sith.
* The title character from KerryGreenwood's ''Phryne Fisher'' mysteries.
* AnitaBlake from Laurell K. Hamilton's ''AnitaBlake'' series. She is the ultimate killing machine.
* Jame of P.C. Hodgell's ''ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath''?a martial arts expert, formerly a professional thief who pulled off some of the most impossible thefts, and in training to be a military officer.
* [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]] wrote some surprisingly strong female characters considering his time, genre and upbringing, including Valeria, Dark Agnes, Tarala, Helen Tavrel, Conchita and the '''''original''''' Red Sonya (totally different and far more realistic than the character better known from Marvel comics and the movie).
* David Isaak's ''{{Shock and Awe}}'' features multiple examples of this, most notably the heroine, Carla, who is probably the most realistic, believable portrayal of an action girl ever seen.
* Makala and Yvka in ''{{Blade of the Flame}}'' both unarguably qualify.
* Mara Jade of the ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse switches back and forth between being an Action Girl and a full-on MarySue depending on who was writing her, only to end up as a FauxActionGirl [[spoiler:purely so the writer could [[WallBanger kill her off]]. She got ridiculously close to ''killing'' her killer, and that's not something a ''FauxActionGirl'' is capable of, it's something an ActionMom or MamaBear would do, but if she'd been [[CharacterDerailment written accurately]], she would have mopped the floor with the jumped-up idiot before the fight even properly started. ''Sacrifice'' began the process of restoring her from FauxActionGirl to ActionGirl, only to kill her off before getting her anywhere near to her true {{Badass}} level]].
** Then there's Jaina, who is at once BadAss enough to take down one of the most powerful and yet least impressive Sith Lords ever, [[spoiler:her twin brother nonetheless]], and yet despite being a fully-functioning Jedi Knight and part of the Skywalker line (which practically ''burns'' with Force potential), had to get additional training from Boba freaking Fett, a seventy-year-old cancer-survivor with bad knees, all because of Karen Traviss's desire to keep Fett and the Mandalorians relevant. Not to mention the 12+ books where she [[FauxActionGirl hung around uselessly]] before even getting to that point. Twelve books where her [[DoubleStandard twin brother]] received an obscene amount of [[GodModeSue god-modding]].
*** And don't forget that in the ''NewJediOrder'', she took down [[TheDragon the Warmaster]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome single-handedly]].
** Let's not forget Tenel Ka, who took down a Nightsister [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome without any weapons!]]
* Catti-Brie, of the ''[[ForgottenRealms Drizzt]]'' [[TheIcewindDaleTrilogy novels]], is a reasonably competent ActionGirl. This is helped by her truly badass equipment; her sword would be decent equipment on someone four times her official character level, and her bow is all but epic. She even beats Drizzt in sparring matches now and again, and he's fifty years her senior, still in his prime, and trained since his youth to fight. However, [[spoiler:a recent wound to the leg that didn't heal right lead her to taking up magic. After three books of this, she died in the Spellplague.]].
** In game terms, though, it's noteworthy that she has the lowest character level of any of the Companions of the Hall -- Drizzt is 16, Bruenor is 12, Regis and Wulfgar are both 9, and Catti-Brie is (before her [[spoiler:magical training]] 4). She does, however, have the least overall combat experience, so this is justified.
** Salvatore's other leading original ''ForgottenRealms'' female, Danica Maupoissant, is also a warrior. In her case, she's a fighting monk, trained from her youth both in unarmed combat and the use of some ''very'' fine knives, and by the second book of the Cleric Quintet the foremost student of a long-dead grandmaster's teachings. She's skilled enough to fight alongside and impress centuries-old elven warriors before she's even thirty.
*** Come to that, she's skilled enough that she's capable of briefly holding her own against ''Artemis Entreri'', top it off with the fact that he had his weapons and she had none.
** The Seven Sisters from the ''Forgotten Realms'' all fit the template to some degree.
* MercedesLackey examples: Georgina (''One Good Knight''), Tarma (''Oathbound'' series), Elspeth (''Mage Winds'' trilogy) Kerowyn (''By the Sword'', appearances in ''Mage Winds'' and ''Mage Storms''), Silverblade (Silver Gryphon, though she's a bit iffy).
* Brienne of Tarth from ''{{A Song of Ice and Fire}}'' is arguably a mix of ActionGirl and FailureKnight. A talented warrior (in a fairly patriarchal fantasy society) who [[spoiler:watches the man she loves get murdered by a shadow]] and still tries to defend him. She also manages to defeat many skilled knights (often outnumbered) and is doing pretty damn well on her quest before [[spoiler:being hanged for a traitor]]. [[ButtMonkey Some people have no luck]].
** The series also contains [[HornyVikings Ascha]] [[HotAmazon Greyjoy]], Meera Reed, Osha and [[FieryRedhead Ygritte]], all who play this trope fairly straight without Brienne's terrible luck. Though, poor Ygritte ''did'' have the misfortune of [[spoiler:getting sacrificed at the altar of Jon's Woobiedom]].
* Hekat and Rhian in Karen Miller's ''GodspeakerTrilogy''
* All of TamoraPierce's [[TortallUniverse Tortall]] protagonists (with the possible exception of Aly, who's more of a Spy[=/=]{{Trickster|Archetype}}, but can still hold her own in a fight).
** Daine may be an exception as well; she's more of a certified nature girl who can shoot a bow and use a slingshot, but doesn't have any explicit powers of destruction unless you [[spoiler:tell her that you murdered her beloved teacher]]. Then she gets [[BerserkButton angry]].
*** Her prowess with a longbow against the Stormwings would certainly qualify her in the first book, though.
** TamoraPierce says outright that she wanted to write stories for children featuring "girls who kick butt."
* TerryPratchett has outright stated that he "can't write 'soft' female characters." Thus, ''{{Discworld}}'' contains Angua von Uberwald, werewolf cop; Susan Sto Helit, [[TheGrimReaper Death]]'s granddaughter; Polly Perks, a [[GroinAttack dirty-fighting]] SweetPollyOliver [[spoiler: and one of [[AmazonBrigade a squad entirely composed of them]]]]; Granny Weatherwax, an ''old'' ActionGirl-ish witch; and even [[BewareTheNiceOnes normally bland female characters who have their moments]]. Magrat Garlick, generally rather useless, has taken down a pair of snake-ladies in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'' and a few [[TheFairFolk evil elves]] in ''Discworld/{{Lords and Ladies}}'', Agnes Nitt roughs up a few vampires in ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', and Saccharissa threatens a man with a crossbow near the end of ''Discworld/TheTruth'' convincingly enough that he passes out.
** And don't forget Tiffany Aching, who overpowered the Queen of the Elves with only a frying pan on her home turf, and to whom Mistress Weatherwax took off her hat in respect, [[LittleMissBadass at the age of nine]]. That's just the start of her adventures.
** Even Sybil has her moments. On two occasions, in ''Discworld/NightWatch'' and ''[[Discworld/GuardsGuards Guards! Guards!]]'', she responds to trespassers by getting down one of the ornamental swords from the wall. She even stops murderous dwarfs with a song from an opera in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant''.
** Don't forget Adora Belle Dearheart (do NOT [[BerserkButton comment on the name]]) from ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. She chain smokes and threatens to put the heel of her stiletto through a man's foot, is a trained ballerina and can kick like a mule.
** Not to mention Kirsty from ''JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy''.
** And then there are the ''GoodOmens'' ones conceived with NeilGaiman. War is the quintessential Amazon, and then there's of course Pepper. Arguments could be made for putting Anathema and Agnes Nutter into this category as well; they were certainly badass enough in their own ways.
* Rachel in ''{{Animorphs}}''; her signature battle morph is the [[EverythingsWorseWithBears grizzly bear]]. She's a BloodKnight, TheBigGuy, and her other passions in life are gymnastics, her boyfriend, and ''shopping''.
** Actually, Rachel is interesting almost as a {{Deconstruction}} of this trope, or at least, one of its more realistic portrayals: like her fellow Animorphs, Rachel is deeply affected by the war in the novel, and as the series becomes DarkerAndEdgier, she gets closer and closer to being a DarkActionGirl, culminating [[spoiler:in her death at the end of the series]].
* Cutlass Cate and, to a lesser extent, Cheng Li, in ''{{Vampirates}}''.
* Patricia Savage, Doc's pistol-toting cousin in the ''DocSavage'' novels who is quite capable of taking on several armed thugs at once.
* Blue Jade in the fifth ''FinneganZwake'' novel is a (modern-day) ''pirate'' ActionGirl.
* Little My of ''TheMoomins''.
* Several in ''{{Nightrunner}}'', considering one of the major settings is a matriarchy with lots of women warriors. Most notably Beka, the princesses Klia and Phoria, and RetiredBadass Thryis.
* In the ''{{Temeraire}}'' series, there are female captains of dragons -- and they are almost exclusively captains of the light-heavyweight acid-spitting Longwing breed, critical to Britain's combat formations. There are even three variants presented; a [[ActionMom more matronly, heavyset, ladylike woman]], a shy young woman who in any other service would be the SweetPollyOliver, and the middle road of a woman approaching early middle age with a daughter in the service with a mannish stride and a penchant for smoking and drinking.
* In Matthew Woodring Stover's ''{{Acts of Caine}}'' novels, there's Talaan in ''Heroes Die'' and Olga/Marade in ''Caine Black Knife''.
* Just like TerryPratchett, DavidWeber is apparently physically unable to ever write a StaffChick. Even his {{Distressed Damsel}}s tends to be {{badass}} in some way, and are usually able even if not to fight, then trick themselves out of trouble with some sort of IndyPloy or BavarianFireDrill. But more often than not they just start to kick asses and take names.
** HonorHarrington from DavidWeber's ''Honorverse'' novels not only commands starships (and later in the series, entire fleets), but on occasion takes part in various forms of hand-to-hand combat. She's an all round example of the action woman who's both smart and physically very capable.
* Since combat is never purely in the cockpit, most of the women in the books of the ''XWingSeries'' count. Shalla Nelprin would probably have gotten along well with Plourr, above.
* In ''Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours'', during Spider-Man's fight with The Ancients, Mary Jane [[spoiler:beats the crap out of the last Ancient with a tire iron while quoting Macbeth.]] She's also saved Spidey more times than he's saved her, beaten up like a million stalkers, & was trained by the eptimone of Manliness CaptainAmerica, If that's not Action Girl, what is?
*** And in SpiderGirl, she not only faced Normie Osborn aka the third Green Goblin, but actually shames the boy via a nice TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. ("I used to change your diapers, what makes you think I'm scared of you!?")
** Aunt May too, Look up how she delt with Chameleon in the Civil War, do it.
* BrandonSanderson seems to like this trope. The main character of ''{{Mistborn}}'' is Vin, who is one of the biggest {{Badass}}es in a trilogy full of them even before she [[spoiler: becomes a god]], and in the first book she has a DarkActionGirl nemesis, Lady Shan. [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses Sarene]] from ''{{Elantris}}'' is more of a political {{Chessmaster}} type, but she fences in her spare time and is good enough to hold her own against the BigBad, a magically enhanced warrior monk. {{Warbreaker}} has no really solid example, though Vivenna seems to be becoming an ActionGirl in training by the end.
* Many of the female characters in {{Anne McCaffrey}}'s ''{{Dragonriders of Pern}}'' novels. Most notable are Lessa and Moreta, though others such as Brekke occasionally qualify.
* Arya of ''TheInheritanceCycle,'' who reminds Eragon of this whenever he expresses concern over a danger to her, and seems to disdain "helpless females" who aren't. ChristopherPaolini mentioned once that just about every good story has an Action Girl.
* If Katniss of ''TheHungerGames'' wasn't this before the title event, she is by the end of them.
* The Arch-Angel Gabriel (literally the "strength of god") is often depicted as a female in arts. Hir name is also one those who would go under GenderBlenderName if v wasn't the first to have the name. A being in charge of a race with members including eye cover wheels and 4 winged eye covered FlamingSword wielding guardians likely shouldn't have a penis or vagina (or be humanoid) though. This would also make Gabriel the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only female]] in the 4 Catholic Arch-Angels (Gabriel is one of the 2 who appears outside of Catholic only books)
* Clarissa Kinnison (nee [=McDougall=]) of the ''{{Lensman}}'' novels, and all four of her daughters. Arguably Virgilia Samms from the same universe, in as much as she's an integral part of Triplanetary's senior operations planning and is as exposed to danger as any of the men (to the point where she's [[spoiler:captured and tortured]], and barely escapes with her life). In ''Masters of the Vortex'', there are several female members of Neal Cloud's crew who kick MAJOR arse, including the epic scene where they [[spoiler:commandeer the weapons Cloud was issued for use as overclocked drilling and sampling lasers, and reduce the local gangster boss's fortress to a puddle of boiling rock along with everyone in it]]. The Lensman universe was pretty much Smith's redemption for making Dorothy Seaton such a shrinking violet for all but the very last part of the ''Skylark'' quartet.
** Clio Marsden in ''Triplanetary'' doesn't fight anywhere near as effectively as her male compatriots; but given that she starts the story as a naive young civilian, she doesn't do too badly.
* Milla of the Far Raiders of ''TheSeventhTower'' is tougher and more physically competent than any fourteen year old should be... on the other hand, she is still a fourteen year old, and behaves like one, behaving in an [[JerkAss incredibly arrogant]] and at times [[MurderIsTheBestSolution almost homicidal]] way towards Tal in the early book. She grows up a lot as the series continues, like Tal, mostly due to common sense being drilled into them both by reality.
* Any High Lady in the ''CodexAlera'' is a potential PersonOfMassDestruction, but the key Action Girls throughout the series are the Cursor Amara and the Marat warrior Kitai. Both are also half of a BattleCouple.
* As the basic function of ''everyone'' in ''WarriorCats'' is to fight or help the fighters, the females of the series are generally treated about the same as males. This means much ass-kicking in battle.
* KateDaniels has a CoolSword and throwing knives, and she is quick to use them. Her best friend Andrea is deadly with her guns. This is only to be expected in [[AfterTheEnd post-Shift Atlanta]], when monsters prowl the streets and nobody is completely safe.
* The ''PercyJackson and the Olympians'' series has several. Annabeth, who even when she gets [[DistressedDamsel kidnapped]] or severely injured, is still awesome. Clarisse, who is the daughter of the god of war (so, duh). Artemis and Athena, who are both goddesses, so also duh. The hunters of Artemis, which includes Thalia (daughter of Zeus) and Zoe Nightshade (daughter of [[spoiler: Atlas]]).
* JudgeDee operates in Imperial China where Confucian ideals place women firmly in the home. Never-the-less he manages to encounter at least two Action Girls in Miss Violet Liang, a Mongolian woman-wrestler, and Blue-White, a skilled street fighter.
* Jo Clayton's recurring character Serroi is a [[WaifFu tiny]], [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation green-skinned]], utterly {{badass}} MagicKnight.
* Many of JamesHSchmitz's characters were Action Girls before the trope was popular, most notably [[LittleMissBadass Maleen, Goth, and the Leewit]] from ''The Witches of Karres''. Others, such as Trigger Argee and Telzey Amberdon could also hold their own. In terms of sheer Badassery, though, the prize has to go to [[BadassBookworm Nile Etland]], a research biologist who almost singlehandedly stonewalled an alien invasion of her planet.
* There are a few in WilliamGibson's BridgeTrilogy, but Zona Rosa, the leader of a girl gang in Mexico City, stands out. Chevette Washington is a borderline example.
* Hester Shaw and Anna Fang of MortalEngines.
* Nearly all the women in Gail Dayton's OneRoseTrilogy. Certainly all the women in the Varyl ilian.
* Princess Eilonwy from ''PrydainChronicles'' actively participated in several battles.
* Gaia Moore from ''{{Fearless}}'' has extreme physical prowess, is heavily trained in martial arts, has an extremely high IQ, and a defective physiology because she ''can't feel fear''. ''And'' she routinely goes ''looking'' for asses to kick.

* All Parshendi females in ''TheStormlightArchive'', assuming Dalinar's guess about their "[[BattleCouple battle pairs]]" is right.

* Pretty much every female character in ''KillBill''. Except for Sofie Fatale, which is [[NightmareFuelUnleaded bad news for her]].