History Main / AffirmativeActionGirl

* There's also Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger / GranolaGirl from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. In the original Japanese version, ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'', there was only [[TheChick one girl]] on the team (Mei/Ptera Ranger). [[ShesAManInJapan The Yellow Ranger was a guy]] (Boy/Tiger Ranger).

*** Similar to Go-Onger, ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' only had one girl in the main FiveManBand (Amy Yuuzuki/Kyoryu Pink), but two of the [[SixthRanger auxiliary Rangers]] later [[PassingTheTorch passed their mantles]] to women (Dr. Ulshade/Kyoryu Violet to his granddaughter Yayoi, and Ramirez/Kyoryu Cyan to [[spoiler: Yuko Fukui]]).
** Getting back to ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', the same ShesAManInJapan practice applied to Trini was applied in later seasons: ''[[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy Lost Galaxy]]'' had Maya (replacing ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'' 's Hikaru), ''[[Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue Lightspeed Rescue]]'' had Kelsey Winslow (in the place of Daimon Tatsumi from ''Series/RescueSentaiGoGoFive''), ''[[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce Time Force]]'' had Katie Walker (replacing Domon from ''Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger'') and ''[[Series/PowerRangersWildForce Wild Force]]'' had Taylor Earhardt (replacing ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'' 's Gaku Washio). Coincidentally or not, these were all Yellow Rangers like Trini.

* Typically, the only female recurring character in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series is Peach. In the spin-offs, they literally throw in as many female characters as they can find. While many of the additional characters in the Mario Spin-Offs (Daisy, Baby Peach, and possibly Rosalina) could be accused of being Affirmative Action Girls, only Toadette and Baby Daisy were created specifically for this purpose.

* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'': [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Terra]] is the sole female character you can play in the story mode, since [[OriginalGeneration Cosmos]] is an NPC, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI Shantotto]] is a bonus character, and NoCampaignForTheWicked (ergo excluding the female villains [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII Cloud of Darkness]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Ultimecia]]). The sequel, ''VideoGame/Dissidia012FinalFantasy'', adds [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Tifa]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Yuna]], and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] to the playable-in-story-mode cast, slightly evening out the sausage fest.

* In the original ''Watership Down'' [[Literature/WatershipDown novel]] and [[WesternAnimation/WatershipDown animated film]], Hyzenthlay was the only female with a big role. The TV series changes Blackberry to a female and expands the role of Hyzenthlay's {{Expy}} Primrose. It also adds in a female mouse character called Hannah who didn't exist in the books.

* Textbook example in ''Toys/BBSenshiSangokuden'': the second named female character Sonshoukou Gerbera is the resident tomboy, and the first, Chousen Qubeley, is TheChick complete with a healthy relationship to Ryofu Tallgeese, [[spoiler:and gets StuffedIntoTheFridge for it]].

* The 2012 ComicBook/{{J|usticeSocietyOfAmerica}}SA reboot makes Comicbook/{{Hawk|man}}girl into a founding member along with Franchise/WonderWoman. Bonus points since she's a Latina [[TwoferTokenMinority as well]].
** Prior to this, the original [[Characters/BlackCanary Black Canary]], Dinah Drake, was also commonly made a founding member (or at least, a member who joined early into their tenure), and nowadays Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence) has been increasingly featured as a founding member too (a carryover from her having lead the All-Star Squadron, which was basically the JSA merged with other teams active at the time). Retroactively, Hippolyta has been featured in place of her daughter.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': Somewhat downplayed as the idea of the Flash Family is OlderThanTheyThink; there had been multiple speedsters since UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} who were loosely connected to the JSA, and by the Silver Age Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West (then only Kid Flash) were an informal 'family'. When the Flash Family aspect got more focus and became a more solid unit in the 90s, Jesse Chambers/Jesse Quick, daughter of Golden Age speedster Johnny Quick, was introduced, and even briefly became Wally's chosen successor as the next Flash. TheSmurfettePrinciple aspect was downplayed somewhat by how much Wally's girlfriend-late-wife, Linda Park, helped out, and sometimes also had Bart's cousin XS, a speedster who works with the Legion of Superheroes, as a slightly looser member.

* Comicbook/BlackWidow was the only female Avenger for [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the first film]], but in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', Comicbook/ScarletWitch is added to the line-up. If one counts the supporting cast, [[Characters/SHIELDDirectors Maria Hill]] was the only significant woman helping the Avengers out in the first movie.

* A few people complained about ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' not featuring any interesting female characters. The only prominent woman in the story was Rachel Dawes, the love interest [[spoiler:who is killed in the second film]]. ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' introduces both [[Characters/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]] and Miranda Tate, who both have prominent roles in the story.
* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': ComicBook/{{Mystique}} was the only prominent female mutant in the previous two [[Film/XMenFirstClass First Class]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast movies]], and Agent [[Characters/XMenMutants Moira MacTaggert]] was absent in ''Days of Future Past''. Moira is re-inserted here, and significant roles are given to Jean Grey and Storm.

** When Mexico's City's ban on luchadoras was lifted Wrestling/{{CMLL}} had one women's title belt for every level(local, national, world), but in 2011 a partnership with the Japanese "Joshi" federation REINA lead CMLL to create two more international title belts for women.

* The ''Marvel Universe LIVE!'' stage show uses the same [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] line-up as [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the movie]], with the exceptions of Comicbook/TheFalcon and [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Captain Marvel]], who were added so that the team could have a [[MonochromeCasting non-white hero]] and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple another woman]], respectively.

* The cast of THQ's cancelled ''Avengers'' video game pretty much exclusively consisted of characters featured in the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] (Comicbook/IronMan, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, Comicbook/IncredibleHulk, [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Thor]], Comicbook/BlackWidow, Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}} and [[Characters/IronManHeroes War Machine]]) with the lone exception of [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Ms. Marvel]], who would have appeared as an unlockable character.

* Hawkgirl from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' was added because the network wanted one more female character besides Franchise/WonderWoman. It worked out though because, despite her relative lack of notoriety in the original comics, she ended up becoming one of the most significant (in both [[EnsembleDarkhorse a good way]] and [[CreatorsPet a bad way]], according to the BrokenBase) in the series, and even led to her being used more in the mainstream DC universe, which in turn was because [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse Timm and Dini]] are just that good. They are in fact ''so good'' that TheMovie is entirely centered around her origins and race, and even when [[spoiler:she leaves the team]] she's ''still'' a huge deal later on. When the show is relaunched as ''Justice League Unlimited'', it adds ''many'' new characters, both male and female, and will often give these new characters ADayInTheLimelight to show them off without being overshadowed by the originals. It's notable though that the characters who get these the most are Black Canary, [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]], ComicBook/{{Vixen}}, and Supergirl; while Green Arrow and Question also get a sizeable amount of focus too, Canary and Huntress end up with a budding Birds of Prey subplot growing, while Vixen gets major focus as Green Lantern's new {{Love Interest|s}} and Supergirl goes through a decently sized subplot.

--->'''Franchise/WonderWoman:''' Athena knows the League could use more female members.\\
'''[[Characters/BlackCanary Black Canary]]:''' Agreed.\\

* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': ComicBook/{{Mystique}} was the only prominent female mutant in the previous two [[Film/XMenFirstClass First Class]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast movies]], and Agent ComicBook/MoiraMacTaggert was absent in ''Days of Future Past''. Moira is re-inserted here, and significant roles are given to Jean Grey and Storm.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'':

* Comicbook/BlackWidow was the only female Avenger for [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the first film]], but in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsScarletWitch Scarlet Witch]] is added to the line-up. If one counts the supporting cast, [[Characters/SHIELDDirectors Maria Hill]] was the only significant woman helping the Avengers out in the first movie.

* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] was the only prominent female mutant in the previous two [[Film/XMenFirstClass First Class]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast movies]], and Agent ComicBook/MoiraMacTaggert was absent in ''Days of Future Past''. Moira is re-inserted here, and significant roles are given to Jean Grey and Storm.

* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] was the only prominent female mutant in the previous two [[Film/XMenFirstClass First Class]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast movies]], and Agent [[Characters/MarvelComicsMoiraMacTaggert Moira MacTaggert]] was absent in ''Days of Future Past''. Moira is re-inserted here, and significant roles are given to Jean Grey and Storm.

* The ''Marvel Universe LIVE!'' stage show uses the same [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] line-up as [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the movie]], with the exceptions of [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheFalcon The Falcon]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Captain Marvel]], who were added so that the team could have a [[MonochromeCasting non-white hero]] and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple another woman]], respectively.

** The trend began back in 1975's ''Series/KamenRiderStronger'', where the title character had a female sidekick. She was a FauxActionGirl (though the actress' asthma might be a factor in that) who died partway through the series and still isn't considered an official Kamen Rider to this day. She was the only major female combatant in the original Showa era run of the show in the '70s and '80s.

*** Not exactly striking a gender balance, Kamen Rider Shuki from ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' was a lot more competent and stayed on the show longer than Larc and Femme. And by longer, we mean [[spoiler:two episodes as opposed to just a tie-in movie]].

*** ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' gave its female lead Natsumi powers as Kamen Rider Kivala, but [[EleventhHourRanger only in the finale movie]] so she doesn't get to do much with them. On the plus side, she's the first female Rider to not die.

*** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' has another non-Rider example in Kiriko Shijima, a policewoman and Drive's partner. In-story, she was a candidate for being Drive herself but [[{{Handwave}} lacked some unspecified factor]], which rubbed some fans the wrong way given that she was otherwise [[HypercompetentSidekick generally more capable than Drive was]].
*** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' had a QuirkyMinibossSquad using knockoffs of Kamen Rider Necrom's powers in the summer tie-in movie; and one of the team members was a woman. Necrom's sister also used her own variant of his powers in one of the movie tie-in episodes.
*** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' ended up giving both of its most prominent female characters Rider powers; on the one hand, they're both {{Lethal Joke Character}}s (Poppy has incredibly powerful SuperCuteSuperpowers while Nico [[WeakButSkilled uses a Mook suit but is skilled enough to kick butt with it]]), but on the other, they don't in get a whole lot of fights.

* A few people complained about ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' not featuring any interesting female characters. The only prominent woman in the story was Rachel Dawes, the love interest [[spoiler:who is killed in the second film]]. ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' introduces both [[Characters/BatmanCatwoman Selina Kyle]] and Miranda Tate, who both have prominent roles in the story.

'''[[Characters/GreenArrowBlackCanary Black Canary]]:''' Agreed.\\

** Prior to this, the original [[Characters/GreenArrowBlackCanary Black Canary]], Dinah Drake, was also commonly made a founding member (or at least, a member who joined early into their tenure), and nowadays Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence) has been increasingly featured as a founding member too (a carryover from her having lead the All-Star Squadron, which was basically the JSA merged with other teams active at the time). Retroactively, Hippolyta has been featured in place of her daughter.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine Thomas and Friends]]'':

* WesternAnimation/LolaBunny basically existed in ''Film/SpaceJam'' because of how few notable female WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes there were (having Granny play basketball would be pushing suspension of disbelief[[note]]which doesn't stop her from playing in [[Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy the sequel]][[/note]], and Petunia Pig and Melissa Duck are seriously obscure). They found a gender-neutral niche for her in the comic books, and eventually turned her into a CloudCuckoolander and StalkerWithACrush for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow''. Ironically, the character introduced solely to be WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's girlfriend, Tina, is this for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' itself -- and is more well-received than this incarnation of Lola.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:"[[ComicBook/TheWasp I'm]] just glad there's finally [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers another girl]] on the team!"[[note]]The top picture illustrates how the roster (and EvolvingCredits) looked in episodes 27-30, while the bottom comes from episodes 31-33.[[/note]]]]-]

** Prior to this, the original ComicBook/BlackCanary, Dinah Drake, was also commonly made a founding member (or at least, a member who joined early into their tenure), and nowadays Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence) has been increasingly featured as a founding member too (a carryover from her having lead the All-Star Squadron, which was basically the JSA merged with other teams active at the time). Retroactively, Hippolyta has been featured in place of her daughter.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': Somewhat downplayed as the idea of the Flash Family is OlderThanTheyThink; there had been multiple speedsters since the GoldenAge who were loosely connected to the JSA, and by the Silver Age Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West (then only Kid Flash) were an informal 'family'. When the Flash Family aspect got more focus and became a more solid unit in the 90s, Jesse Chambers/Jesse Quick, daughter of Golden Age speedster Johnny Quick, was introduced, and even briefly became Wally's chosen successor as the next Flash. The SmurfettePrinciple aspect was downplayed somewhat by how much Wally's girlfriend-late-wife, Linda Park, helped out, and sometimes also had Bart's cousin XS, a speedster who works with the Legion of Superheroes, as a slightly looser member.

* Comicbook/BlackWidow was the only female Avenger for [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the first film]], but in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', ComicBook/ScarletWitch is added to the line-up. If one counts the supporting cast, ComicBook/MariaHill was the only significant woman helping the Avengers out in the first movie.

* A few people complained about ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' not featuring any interesting female characters. The only prominent woman in the story was Rachel Dawes, the love interest [[spoiler:who is killed in the second film]]. ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' introduces both [[{{ComicBook/Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]] and Miranda Tate, who both have prominent roles in the story.
* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Mystique was the only prominent female mutant in the previous two [[Film/XMenFirstClass First Class]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast movies]], and Agent ComicBook/MoiraMacTaggert was absent in ''Days of Future Past''. Moira is re-inserted here, and significant roles are given to Jean Grey and Storm.

* The ''Marvel Universe LIVE!'' stage show uses the same [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] line-up as [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the movie]], with the exceptions of ComicBook/TheFalcon and [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Captain Marvel]], who were added so that the team could have a [[MonochromeCasting non-white hero]] and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple another woman]], respectively.

* The cast of THQ's cancelled ''Avengers'' video game pretty much exclusively consisted of characters featured in the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] (Comicbook/IronMan, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, Comicbook/IncredibleHulk, [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Thor]], Comicbook/BlackWidow, Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}} and Comicbook/WarMachine) with the lone exception of [[Comicbook/CarolDanvers Ms. Marvel]], who would have appeared as an unlockable character.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' initially boasted only one female protagonist, ComicBook/TheWasp. About halfway through season one, viewers met her friend ComicBook/CarolDanvers, in an episode that ended with Carol gaining Kree superpowers. By season two, Carol assumes the superheroine identity of Ms. Marvel, whom ComicBook/IronMan recruits into the Avengers.

* Hawkgirl from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' was added because the network wanted one more female character besides Franchise/WonderWoman. It worked out though because, despite her relative lack of notoriety in the original comics, she ended up becoming one of the most significant (in both [[EnsembleDarkhorse a good way]] and [[CreatorsPet a bad way]], according to the BrokenBase) in the series, and even led to her being used more in the mainstream DC universe, which in turn was because [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse Timm and Dini]] are just that good. They are in fact ''so good'' that TheMovie is entirely centered around her origins and race, and even when [[spoiler:she leaves the team]] she's ''still'' a huge deal later on.
** When the show is relaunched as ''Justice League Unlimited'', it adds ''many'' new characters, both male and female, and will often give these new characters ADayInTheLimelight to show them off without being overshadowed by the originals. It's notable though that the characters who get these the most are Black Canary, Huntress, Vixen, and Supergirl; while Green Arrow and Question also get a sizeable amount of focus too, Canary and Huntress end up with a budding Birds of Prey subplot growing, while Vixen gets major focus as Green Lantern's new LoveInterest and Supergirl goes through a decently sized subplot.

* WesternAnimation/LolaBunny basically existed in ''Film/SpaceJam'' because of how few notable female WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes there were (having Granny play basketball would be pushing suspension of disbelief, and Petunia Pig and Melissa Duck are seriously obscure). They found a gender-neutral niche for her in the comic books, and eventually turned her into a CloudCuckoolander and StalkerWithACrush for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow''. Ironically, the character introduced solely to be WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's girlfriend, Tina, is this for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' itself -- and is more well-received than this incarnation of Lola.

'''ComicBook/BlackCanary:''' Agreed.\\

* Aqua in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' is the franchise's first properly playable female character (not just a bonus addition like Larxene or Xion in multiplayer). And she is awesome.

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' had [[InvertedTrope inverted this trope]] in part due to inverting TwoGirlsToATeam, with there being four girls and two guys. When one male member, [[DecoyProtagonist Alex Wilder]], was revealed to be TheMole and died at the end of the first arc, ComicBook/VictorMancha was introduced in part to fill the void and has served as a longtime member since.

A female character added to a new season, spinoff or sequel to balance out the sexes.

** Rain herself becomes a secondary example later, when [[spoiler:Allenby is BrainwashedAndCrazy and she takes up the task of DefusingTheTykebomb]]. She already had hints of it the beginning, though, being able to withstand the "painful" suiting up process and handling the Shining Gundam in Shinjuku despite lack of specific training.

* Textbook example in ''Toys/BBSenshiSangokuden'': the second named female character Sonshoukou Gerbera is the resident tomboy, and the first, Chousen Qubeley, is TheChick complete with healthy relationship to Ryofu Tallgeese, [[spoiler:and gets StuffedIntoTheFridge for it]].

** When ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' revived the idea of a Flash Family after they were ExiledFromContinuity during ''New 52'', new speedsters Avery Ho and Meena Dhawan were introduced, who were both also TwoferTokenMinority examples too (Avery is mixed-Asian and Meena is AmbiguouslyBrown but assumed to be Indian in origin). At the end of Josh Williamson's run, he revived Jesse Quick (who he had wanted to bring back for some time anyway), and also saw Wally's daughter Irey return, so there was now four female Flashes active compared to ''seven'' male ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Godspeed]]).

* ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' adds a second girl to the crew - Gael, a girl who stows away after her mother is kidnapped. This would have created a PlotHole for when the Dufflepuds kidnap Lucy as in [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader the book]], they do so because only a girl can read the spell to free them. However the film remedies it by having one of the Dufflepuds note that Gael is also a girl but that Lucy has a book next to her, indicating she knows how to read.
* Arwen's role in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' is expanded considerably compared to the original trilogy. Glorfindel's ride to bring Frodo to Rivendell is given to Arwen and she was filmed fighting at Helm's Deep so that the main romantic interest wasn't left out of the story for too long, but according to the [[WordOfGod DVD extras]] her being Affirmative Action Girl didn't feel right so they delved into the periphery material to show her feminine strength (supporting, encouraging, negotiating and persuading to aid the fellowship from afar) instead of the masculine strength of bashing stuff with a sword. And also according to [[WordOfGod the commentaries]], to avoid introducing [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a new named character who will have two total minutes of screen time]]. WordOfGod also said that Tauriel from ''Film/TheHobbit'' film trilogy is what Arwen could have been, since she was added to include some feminine energy.

* A variation in ''Film/MissCongeniality''. While there is a large female cast in the first movie, the majority of them are the pageant contestants - and Gracie is the only female FBI agent. The sequel teams her up with another female agent Sam, though ironically features less female supporting characters (as the plot is about rescuing one pageant contestant).

** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' adds Tonks to the team of good badass adults we're used to as well as Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood to the main group. Although Ginny was in the story before this book, she had only been either a background character or a DamselInDistress (in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets the second one]]). Here she becomes a proper ActionGirl and joins Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville in the fight at the Ministry. Luna as well then makes the main group have three girls and three boys. On the evil side we originally had [[PsychoSupporter Bellatrix]] as the DarkChick. Alecto Carrow then appears as another female Death Eater, but this trope fits Bellatrix's sister [[MamaBear Narcissa]] better; she technically appeared earlier and she's only the wife of a villain, but her role gets greatly expanded in the final two books, culminating in [[spoiler:a HeelFaceTurn that allows Harry to kill Voldemort]].
* ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo'': In the first two books, the tomboyish protagonist Lucy was the only woman in the team. In the third book the more feminine Holly joins the team.

** Speaking of original Japanese versions, ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' started the practice with ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'', but from then it swings back and forth between playing the trope straight and averting it (of the 28 seasons since then, 13 ran on TheSmurfettePrinciple). ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'' played with this by starting off only with Saki Rouyama (Go-on Yellow), then introducing Miu Sutou (Go-on Silver), the first ever female Ranger with SixthRanger status.

** The trend began back in 1975's ''Series/KamenRiderStronger'', where the title character had a female sidekick. She was a FauxActionGirl (though the actress' asthma might be a factor in that) who died partway through the series and still isn't considered an official Kamen Rider to this day. She was the only major female combatant in the original Showa era run of the show in the 70s and 80s.

*** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' ended up giving both of its most prominent female characters Rider powers; on the one hand they're both {{Lethal Joke Character}}s (Poppy has incredibly powerful SuperCuteSuperpowers while Nico [[WeakButSkilled uses a Mook suit but is skilled enough to kick butt with it]]), but on the other they don't in get a whole lot of fights.

* It's common for a promotion to have just one championship for women to fight for, due to having less female wrestlers. However if their roster goes up, they will sometimes introduce a secondary title for the women:

** Also, there turns out to be more to [[spoiler:Miang]] than what the player is told at first. [[spoiler:She is not only manipulating Ramsus from behind the scenes, but has been doing the same to the whole world for 10,000 years--she is one of the two {{Big Bad}}s in the story and for all intents and purposes, [[GodInHumanForm the physical avatar of their world's god.]]]]

* Typically, the only female recurring character in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series is Peach. In the spin offs, they literally throw in as many female characters as they can find. While many of the additional characters in the Mario Spin Offs (Daisy, Baby Peach, and possibly Rosalina) could be accused of being Affirmative Action Girls, only Toadette and Baby Daisy were created specifically for this purpose.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' based the Espers on the signs of the Zodiac - of which only Virgo is represented by a female symbol (the rest are either male, animal or inanimate objects). Indeed the Esper representing Virgo - Ultima - is female. Developers made another of the Espers female too - Shemhazai who was based off Sagittarius (a male centaur).

* Viola of ''Stationery Voyagers''. It was strongly implied that Neone would join shortly after the first launch, so she doesn't count. But Viola appears from seemingly out of nowhere in the second season, and quickly convinces the team to let her join, [[SoulBrotha in spite her eccentricities]] being confusing to them.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Rouge the Bat]] and Blaze the Cat. The former was the first additional major female character after [[GenkiGirl Amy Rose]] (whom only started becoming an ActionGirl herself recently at that point) and was an adversary for Knuckles. The latter debuted a few years later, but is noticeable for being the only female character to match [[TheHero Sonic's]] skill in combat and is also the only woman to have a SuperMode of her own.

* In-continuity, Bethany of The Escapist's Game Dogs is literally this-in spite of a behavioral record as long as any arm you'd care to present, stuffed full of reprimands for violence that would get anyone else fired twenty-seven times over, she keeps her job explicitly because of affirmative action rules mandating a certain number of female and minority employees. Outside of continuity, they probably thought they were doing this tongue-in-cheekly by making her actually the only girl. Color me unimpressed.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' begins with just one woman, Haley (unless you count [[AmbiguousGender gender-indeterminate]] Vaarsuvius). In strip #43, they meet "The Linear Guild", their first set of antagonists, which includes two women, Sabine and Hilgya. Hilgya soon leaves, and Celia the air elemental law student is introduced. She goes on to become a much more important character, as does Sabine, who sticks around with her boyfriend Nale after the rest of the Linear Guild breaks up. Another female character is added in strip #200, the stuck-up paladin Miko. Xykon the lich's army starts out apparently all male, but gets an infusion of estrogen in the form of [[ILoveTheDead Tsukiko]] right before Miko [[spoiler:lets her paranoia get the best of her and dies]]. Later we meet the AscendedExtra Kazumi Kato, and her boyfriend and eventually husband Daigo. The female paladin Lien also plays a supporting role. Intrigue among the exiled paladins and their people also introduces Lord Kubota as a villain, his female ninja protege Therkla, and the male imp Qarr. And it goes on from there. OOTS goes from Smurfette Principle beginnings to a nearly equally-balanced cast.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' initially boasted only one female protagonist, ComicBook/TheWasp. About halfway through season one, viewers met her friend ComicBook/CarolDanvers, in an episode that ended with Carol gaining Kree superpowers. By season two, Carol assumes the super heroine identity of Ms. Marvel, whom ComicBook/IronMan recruits into the Avengers.

* Hawkgirl from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' was added because the network wanted one more female character besides Franchise/WonderWoman. It worked out, though, because despite her relative lack of notoriety in the original comics, she ended up becoming one of the most significant (in both [[EnsembleDarkhorse a good way]] and [[CreatorsPet a bad way]], according to the BrokenBase) in the series, and even led to her being used more in the mainstream DC universe, which in turn was because [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse Timm and Dini]] are just that good. They are in fact ''so good'' that TheMovie is entirely centered around her origins and race, and even when [[spoiler:she leaves the team]] she's ''still'' a huge deal later on.
** When the show is relaunched as ''Justice League Unlimited'', it adds ''many'' new characters, both male and female, and will often give these new characters ADayInTheLimelight to show them off without being overshadowed by the originals. It's notable though that the characters who get these the most are Black Canary, Huntress, Vixen and Supergirl; while Green Arrow and Question also get a sizeable amount of focus too, Canary and Huntress end up with a budding Birds of Prey subplot growing, while Vixen gets major focus as Green Lantern's new LoveInterest and Supergirl goes through a decently sized subplot.

* For most of ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'''s run in the first two seasons, the main cast had a ratio of about 4-1. (Megabyte, Bob, Enzo and Phong to Dot.) Towards the end of the second season, likely to give Enzo somebody to talk to, [=AndrAIa=] the game sprite is introduced. Afterward, series guest stars Hexadecimal and Mouse are given larger roles and made into regulars.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Rugrats}}'' had Lil as the only girl in the core group of babies, with Angelica as the antagonist. Eventually Susie and later Kimi were added. The original line up of Rugrats was three boys to one girl (or two if one counts Angelica, who isn't really part of the group) and by the end was a GenderEqualEnsemble.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark,'' Bebe has one [[ADayInTheLimelight day in the limelight]] episode, but besides that pretty much only exists for when they need a girl character other than [[TheSmartGuy Wendy]] (in particularly, playing her as Wendy's [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl girlier]] {{Foil}}). Really, Wendy was the only important non-adult female early on, though as time goes on more of them are becoming {{Ascended Extra}}s. Heidi was a main character as Cartman's girlfriend in Seasons 20 and 21, but returned to the background afterwards.

** The series had mostly an all-male cast for its first six seasons. The only female engines were Mavis and Daisy, who are both diesels. ''WesternAnimation/{{Thomas and the Magic Railroad}}'' introduced Lady, a female steam locomotive, but she only appeared twice (the second time was during a dream sequence) before being forgotten by canon (and for good reason, due to being a flat, one-note character whose basis is freelanced). Other female characters included every piece of passenger rolling stock, a few road vehicles (Caroline and Elizabeth) and many human characters, notably Lady Hatt and Mrs. Kindley. Starting with Season 7 in 2003, after years of complaints from moms accusing the series of sexism, the first canon female steam locomotive, Emily, was introduced. Emily is a member of the main cast, though it came at the cost of Duck being banished from the main cast and going [=MIA=] for years. Season 9 introduced a second female steam character named Molly, who only had one lead role, several minor roles and background cameos before disappearing after the show's eleventh season. Rosie was introduced in Season 10 and has had at least one speaking role until Season 14, when she was relegated to the background (though has been regaining screentime from Season 21 onwards). Season 12 introduced Flora, a female counterpart for Toby; Flora suffered from [=HiT=] Entertainment's bad habit of introducing a character, then said character disappears without a trace as an excuse to quickly and cheaply market new toys. Season 15 introduced Belle (who wasn't well-received by fans due to having unrealistic water cannons attached to her side tanks, when her class, the British Railways 4MT, was a passenger locomotive), and Season 17 introduced Millie (the first female narrow-gauge engine) and Caitlin. More female steam locomotive characters are likely to be introduced in coming seasons.

If she's the first female in a previously all-male cast, this is just TheSmurfettePrinciple at work and she's probably TheChick or TheHeart. But if she's added when there's already a (single) female in the cast, to counter the Smurfette Principle by adding more gender balance, then she's an Affirmative Action Girl. When this trope was in its formative stages (when Affirmative Action was still working its way into action-oriented fiction), such characters were usually {{Straw Feminist}}s to boot. For bonus points, she might be a [[TwoferTokenMinority racial minority]] as well.

* In 2012, during one of the famous UsefulNotes/SuperBowl commercials, Advertising/MAndMs maker Mars introduced Ms. Brown, an icy businesswoman voiced by Music/VanessaWilliams, to go with the other M&M "spokescandies". Brown was the last regular color to be characterized, and since Green was the only other female out of the set, it seems Mars wanted to kill two birds with one stone.

* The live-action ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[TheMovie movies]] have Sanami, who was created to add a woman to the Task Force. Similarly, the role of [[spoiler:the Third Kira]] was given to an adapted version of (attractive twenty-something female) Kiyomi Takada, originally [[spoiler:merely a Kira-supporter and a go-between for Light and Teru Mikami (the fourth Kira)]], when character-wise, an adapted version of (unattractive older male) [[spoiler:Kyosuke Higuchi]] would have worked just as well, although in Takada's defense, she ''had'' a role in the live-action story.

* A few people complained about ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' not featuring any interesting female characters. The only prominent female in the story was Rachel Dawes, the love interest [[spoiler:who is killed in the second film]]. ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' introduces both [[{{ComicBook/Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]] and Miranda Tate, who both have prominent roles in the story.

* ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960'' had only one female with a speaking part - Petra the TokenRomance for Chico. The [[Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016 2016 remake]] does ''not'' give one of the seven a GenderFlip, but gives the role of ''Film/SevenSamurai''s Rikichi to Emma Cullen, a prominent character who assembles the seven, and the movie features a couple of supporting female characters.

* ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo'': In the first two books, the tomboyish protagonist Lucy was the only female in the team. In the third book the more feminine Holly joins the team.

*** Similar to Go-Onger, ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' only had one girl in the main FiveManBand (Amy Yuuzuki/Kyoryu Pink), but two of the [[SixthRanger auxiliary Rangers]] later [[PassingTheTorch passed their mantles]] to females (Dr. Ulshade/Kyoryu Violet to his granddaughter Yayoi, and Ramirez/Kyoryu Cyan to [[spoiler: Yuko Fukui]]).

* Inverted on ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. In the original pilot, the gender ratio was three females (Sarah Jane, Kelsey, and Maria) to one male (Luke). When the series began, Kelsey had been replaced with Clyde to balance out the gender ratio (and because Kelsey's actress was rather difficult.) Kelsey went on to join Franchise/FactionParadox and became the president of Pluto, so things worked out for her in the end.

* ''{{Series/Angel}}'' had Cordelia as the only woman in the main cast. Season 2 gave [[EvilFormerFriend Darla]] and [[AmoralAttorney Lilah]] big roles, but they were still only recurring, not to mention villains. [[TheSmartGuy Fred]] ([[GenderBlenderName a girl]]) was added to the main titles for Season 3, making it TwoGirlsToATeam. By Season 5, Fred was the only female in the main cast, but [[AffablyEvil Harmony]] was added as Angel's secretary and [[PromotionToOpeningTitles promoted to the opening titles]] for the last few episodes.
* As Lucy Brown left ''{{Series/Primeval}}'' during Season 3, that would have left Abby as the only female working at the ARC - if Laila Rouass hadn't joined as Sarah Page at the start of the season. When she leaves at the end of the season, Ruth Kearney's Jess and Ruth Bradley's Emily are added in Season 4.

* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' was envisioned as having only TwoGirlsToATeam - with Lisa and Kelly as only two girls versus a main cast of four males (five if you count Max, who was a recurring cast member at first). Creator/ElizabethBerkley's audition (for Kelly) impressed producers and they created a third female - Jessie Spano - to accommodate her.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III'', female units would usually be relegated to supporting magical roles (sorceresses for Humans[=/=]High Elves and Banshees for Undead), up until Night Elves had females filling all the primary attack unit roles. The expansion adds the Night Elf Warden, the only female melee hero in the game.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Rouge the Bat]] and Blaze the Cat. The former was the first additional major female character after [[GenkiGirl Amy Rose]] (whom only started becoming an ActionGirl herself recently at that point) and was an adversary for Knuckles. The latter debuted a few years later, but is noticeable for being the only female character to match [[TheHero Sonic's]] skill in combat and is also the only female to have a SuperMode of her own.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' begins with just one female, Haley (unless you count [[AmbiguousGender gender-indeterminate]] Vaarsuvius). In strip #43, they meet "The Linear Guild", their first set of antagonists, which includes two women, Sabine and Hilgya. Hilgya soon leaves, and Celia the air elemental law student is introduced. She goes on to become a much more important character, as does Sabine, who sticks around with her boyfriend Nale after the rest of the Linear Guild breaks up. Another female character is added in strip #200, the stuck-up paladin Miko. Xykon the lich's army starts out apparently all male, but gets an infusion of estrogen in the form of [[ILoveTheDead Tsukiko]] right before Miko [[spoiler:lets her paranoia get the best of her and dies]]. Later we meet the AscendedExtra Kazumi Kato, and her boyfriend and eventually husband Daigo. The female paladin Lien also plays a supporting role. Intrigue among the exiled paladins and their people also introduces Lord Kubota as a villain, his female ninja protege Therkla, and the male imp Qarr. And it goes on from there. OOTS goes from Smurfette Principle beginnings to a nearly equally-balanced cast.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Until then, Katara was the only female in the [[ThreeAmigos main cast]]. Then [[DarkActionGirl Azula]], [[EmoTeen Mai]], [[CloudCuckoolander Ty Lee]] and [[CuteBruiser Toph]] all arrive in the first six episodes, and suddenly the gender ratio for main and recurring characters is four male, five female. Though she appeared as a minor character in season one, Suki may also count as seasons two and three increase her prominence. Incidentally, Toph and Azula were [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally conceived as guys.]] The genders were swapped somewhere down the line, presumably to let this trope happen, and because swapping Toph's gender was hilarious.

* Angela from ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', added in Season 2. All the gargoyles were male except for [[BigBad Demona]], who was a villain. Elisa was the existing female character, but she's not a gargoyle and therefore [[OvershadowedByAwesome not quite as action-y]], despite being a police officer and often participating in combat. In the original series pitch, there were apparently two female gargoyles in the main cast--Coco, who was forced by ExecutiveMeddling to evolve into Broadway because they didn't like the idea of an overweight female as a main character, and Dakota, the original leader of the clan, who was dropped for being very boring. It's worth noting that neither character was stuck in limbo permanently: Coco was brought back in the comic continuation as a member of the London Clan, while Dakota was retooled into Demona.

* Skeeter in ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'', as Miss Piggy was the only major recurring female on the parent series, ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. (For the record, there weren't many minor recurring females on ''The Muppet Show'', either. There was really just Janice, who was part of the rock band. On the other hand, Animal was part of the band, too, and they used him regardless.) And Camilla (the chicken, and Gonzo's love interest). Camilla also appeared in the cartoon as a stuffed doll that interacted with the other characters whenever they'd have their imagination sequences. Like when they did an episode on [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]] and needed a third female for the goddesses' contest with Paris. She was Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, [[HilarityEnsues to the other girls' chagrin]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' adds another new female to the main cast named Summer, again in a further attempt to appeal to female audiences.

** And in "JustForFun/WackyDelly", a show-within-a-show from one particularly memorable episode, the three main characters each come up with their own characters for the show. Rocko's is introduced simply as "This here's Betty Bologna. She's a girl!". It is unlikely that he had any other plans for the character aside from being a token female.

* Lola Bunny basically existed in ''Film/SpaceJam'' because of how few notable female WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes there were (having Granny play basketball would be pushing suspension of disbelief, and Petunia Pig and Melissa Duck are seriously obscure). They found a gender-neutral niche for her in the comic books, and eventually turned her into a CloudCuckoolander and StalkerWithACrush for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow''. Ironically, the character introduced solely to be WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's girlfriend, Tina, is this for ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' itself -- and is more well-received than this incarnation of Lola.

*** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' had a group of people using knockoffs of Kamen Rider Necrom's powers in the summer tie-in movie and the episodes surrounding it (a QuirkyMinibossSquad and one other); two of which were women. Neither one got much screentime.

** The Reiwa era looks to be taking another major step forward, as ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' is the first series in the entire franchise to ''start'' with a female Rider in the cast: Yua Yaiba/Kamen Rider Valkyrie; and she was the first woman to take part in the franchise's SwissArmyHero gimmick. If you're willing to stretch the trope definition, Naki also becomes a Rider late in the series (the character is androgynous and, as an android, has NoBiologicalSex; while the actress identifies as non-binary). In fact, [[spoiler: both never even come close to being StuffedIntoTheFridge, surviving all the way to the series' end WITH their Rider gear intact, and even on the same side (of good), which is nothing short of ''absolutely amazing for this franchise'']].

* Used in-universe in ''Literature/ArtemisFowl''. Holly Short is the only female officer on the [=LEPRecon=] force (there is another one, but she's a complete bimbo and serves as a PR move due to distant ancestry with a fairy king), and feels greatly put upon by her boss for being a girl. He quickly reveals that this is indeed the case... but because he knows she can take it, being better than all the other male officers, and if she succeeds the LEP will finally allow more women to join.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'':
** While a good majority of the characters in the original series were Caucasian, of the five new heroes, one is Native American, one is Latino, one is African American, one is Chinese-Canadian — and only one is white.
** And now Reyna is confirmed to be Puerto Rican, meaning the Romans are led by a woman of color. Which given the ethnicities of assorted Emperors is not as big a deal as it seems to be - except for the 'woman' part.