History Main / PluckyGirl

* Frédéric Brrémaud and Giovanni Rigano's ''Tête de Pioche'' is dauntless, optimistic, and willing to adventure to whichever place in the world her big sister Milady is currently at.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
!!General:
* This trope is a staple of {{shoujo|Demographic}} manga, especially MagicalGirl shows. So the heroine is BookDumb, ultra naive, a ButtMonkey or is just starting with her mission and/or training in magic? The Powers of [[ThePowerOfLove Love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]] will ultimately give her strength to keep on going! The UrExample, obviously, is Usagi from ''Franchise/SailorMoon.''
* All the female leads created by Creator/MichiyoAkaishi are this in one way or another. [[Manga/TenyoriMoHoshiYoriMo Mio Mizumori]] tries to master her MakingASplash powers and protect herself from her StalkerWithACrush, [[Manga/HonooNoAlpenRose Jeudi]] will never stop looking for the truth behind her lost family and get away from her own StalkerWithACrush, [[Manga/PrivateActress Shiho Kobayakawa]] perseveres in her Private Actress work, [[Manga/AkatsukiNoAria Aria Kanbara]] will keep working in her dream to be a musician...

!!By Title:
* Belldandy from ''Manga/AhMyGoddess''. Behind that soft and caring exterior lies a will of iron and a girl who will stand up to the devil herself for the sake of those she loves.
* In ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'', Mira and Misa are [[SiblingYinYang polar opposites]], but they share one thing in common: their insistence on self-reliance.
** In the seventh chapter, Moe is going to tell Misa that [[GoalInLife Mira and Ao want to discover an asteroid together]] when Mira pulled Moe back, saying she'd rather do it by herself (i.e. without Misa's assistance).
** Right after the previous scene, Mira gives Misa the banded stone she found during [[PicnicEpisode Chapter 4]] as a good-luck charm for the latter's college entrance exams. While we immediately know Misa uses that for Mira's aforementioned GoalInLife, Chapter 31 revealed why Misa does that--she wants to do that herself.
* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', Sasha Blouse's energetic disposition and pluckiness lands her here. As emphasized in her introduction: Shadis sentenced her to run until she collapses, and she does it without complaint. What got her upset was being denied any dinner. Sasha later has several brushes with death, but never loses her optimistic nature.
* Casca from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' zigged in and out of this trope. She was first like this when Guts patronized her for being a weak female when she fell ill during her period, but she never let him get to her. After Guts returned after a year's absence when everything came crashing down for the Hawks, Casca had an emotional breakdown and nearly committed suicide, [[InterruptedSuicide but Guts saved her]] and [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre gave her some emotional strength]] [[spoiler:[[LoveEpiphany while admitting their love to each other]]]]. After that, Casca more or less [[ToughLeaderFacade resumed her role as the strong female acting-leader of the Hawks]], and even managed to keep her cool in the wake of a bad situation when [[spoiler: the Eclipse began, and the Hawks were warped to another dimension]]. [[FromBadToWorse And then that bad situation turned worse.]] [[BreakTheCutie Casca did not come]] [[RapeLeadsToInsanity out very well]] -- [[GoMadFromTheRevelation AT]] [[DrivenToMadness ALL]].
* Noelle Silva of ''Manga/BlackClover''. She refuses to give up in tough situations, convincing Nozel that the elf-possessed humans do not have to be killed and will be saved by them. She passionately asks Patry to help her and the other Magic Knights grow stronger to defeat the Spade Kingdom. When asked what makes her think they can become strong enough in little time, she states that giving up is even harder than getting stronger.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** After many, ''many'' ordeals and BreakTheCutie episodes, ''both'' Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue end up graduating into this at different times.
** In the ''Everything But The Rain'' arc, [[spoiler: Masaki Kurosaki]] is this through and through. In [[SilkHidingSteel a more quiet way]], we may also count [[spoiler: Kanae Katagiri]].
** Uryuu Ishida is also a very rare [[DistaffCounterpart male version of this]], being closer to this archetype than to the grim {{Determinator}}, and probably taking up cues from his MissingMom [[spoiler: aka the aforementioned Kanae Katagiri]]. [[spoiler: It seems that his FaceHeelTurn has changed things, but then it' revealed that [[TheMole he's faking it]].]]
** Other plucky girls in this series are: Karin Kurosaki, Tatsuki Arisawa, Chizuru Honshou, Yoruichi Shihouin, Sui-Feng, Yachiru Kusachiji, Nanao Ise, Rangiku Matsumoto, Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadomaru, Mashiro Kuna, Tia Harribel and her AmazonBrigade (whose VillainousValour was praised by Yamamoto [[spoiler:before he nearly killed them]]), Senna from the first movie, Homura from the third movie, and recently Jackie Tristan and Riruka Dokugamine. As an OlderAndWiser version, we have [[spoiler: Kirio Hikifune]].
* Kita from ''Manga/BocchiTheRock'' is such an overwhelmingly optimistic extrovert that her "Kit-aura" blinds the more introverted Bocchi and turns [[TheCynic the cynical Seika]] to ash.
-->'''Seika:''' Stop it. [[GoodHurtsEvil You're killing me.]]
* All of the girls in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' have their plucky moments, specially [[spoiler:Anko Tokosumi]], [[spoiler:Kana Ushiro]] and [[spoiler:Youko Machi]].
* Candace White "Candy" Andree from ''Manga/CandyCandy''. She has her breakdowns, but as soon as she's back to her feet, she comes back stronger ''than ever''.
* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'': Sakura Kinomoto to some extent. While she is rather determined and frequently shows little concern for her own well-being, her disposition better resembles that of a real child under such situations, as such she does actually [[CowardlyLion show fear]] and break down at times, relying on [[TrueCompanions her friends' support]] to recover her strength.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' has several: Ran Mouri, who either witnesses or is subjected to BreakTheCutie many times but ultimately brings herself back; Sonoko Suzuki, who never loses her GenkiGirl behavior for too long [[ButtMonkey despite her amazingly bad luck]]; Masumi Sera, a BadassBiker {{bifauxnen}} who does her best to help her friends [[spoiler: and look for her missing older brother]], Miwako Sato, who is a physically ''and'' mentally strong ActionGirl; Hina Wada, an ActionGirl who believes in aliens and says she'd love to "have a heartfelt conversation with them using her fist" if they tried to invade...
%%** CanonForeigner Li Meiling and especially Sakura's best friend Tomoyo Daidouji.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** Kallen Kouzuki [[spoiler:When faced against the now practically superhuman Suzaku, she fights him to a standstill, reducing ''both'' of their machines to scrap before finally destroying Suzaku's machine with the very last blow she has left before her machine shuts down. Suzaku even wonders aloud how he can't beat her, even with his "live" Geass]].
** Euphemia li Britannia and Shirley Fenette also count. [[spoiler:Doesn't work as well, though.]]
* Aura of ''Literature/{{Corsair}}'' boisterous, opinionated, and quick-tempered, and remains so even after she is kidnapped and threatened with execution.
* ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove'':
** Yumoto Hakone is a [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male example]]. He eagerly accepted his role as protector of the planet and he's usually the most proactive and energetic fighter during MonsterOfTheWeek battles.
** Gora Hakone qualifies; it must be a family trait. His parents disappeared when he was young and he's had to raise his brother from infancy to adolescents by himself while running a business. Despite that, the brothers have a healthy relationship, the bathhouse provides stable income, and Gora remains mostly well-adjusted. [[spoiler: That's not even counting his stint as a [[MagicalGirlWarrior Magical Boy Warrior]].]]
* In ''Manga/DearBrother'' and specially in [[AdaptationExpansion the anime verion]], Tomoko Arikura is a perpetually feisty GenkiGirl who supports her shy and sweet best friend Nanako no matter what and always does so with a huge smile.
* [[SpoiledSweet Mimi Tachikawa]] and [[CheerfulChild Hikari Yagami]] of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure''. In the second part Hikari's will [[HeroicBSOD falters once in a while]] but [[CameBackStrong she ultimately recovers]] and stays as this, and she's also joined by Miyako Inoue and Jun Motomiya. [[TeamMom Sora Takenouchi]] zigs in and out of the trope, specially in the first part, but in the end she played it more or less well.
* ''Anime/ADogOfFlanders1975'': Alois Cogez. Even after her father formally bans her from seeing Nello, she still visits on him on the day of the art contest and tells him she is praying for him. She frequently stands up to her father and insists on Nello's goodness, not caring if she gets punished.
* Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo's early manga ''Manga/{{Domu}}: A Child's Dream'' gave us Etsuko, a little girl with immense PsychicPowers she uses to battle a PsychopathicManchild SerialKiller. All the while she is spunky and headstrong, first responding to seeing him psychically manipulate a baby to fall off the roof of the apartment complex with, "What an awful brat you are! Really now?!" and scaring the old man by using her powers to rattle the bench he is sitting on.
* Mai and Mami from ''Anime/ExplorerWomanRay'', twin girls who travel to South America in search of hidden treasure, aiming to meet up with the AdventurerArchaeologist title character. Despite their youth, naivite and obvious inexperience, even being shot at by the bad guys in search of their stolen MacGuffin doesn't deter them.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Erza's an example of the more masculine {{Determinator}} trope.
** Lucy is a more traditional example, as while she has cried in despair several times over the course of watching her friends and Celestial Spirits get hurt for her sake, losing her father and NeverGotToSayGoodbye, [[spoiler:losing her contract with Aquarius after breaking her key to save her friends]], she still manages to pull herself together and remain cheery as ever.
** Mavis Vermillion might be the pluckiest of all. For the record, her backstory is probably one of the most tragedy-filled of all the members of the members of Fairy Tail, and yet despite having been sent over the DespairEventHorizon [[spoiler:after being cursed into an EnemyToAllLivingThings]] she still managed to come back as bright and compassionate as ever.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' ([[TheAnimeOfTheGame anime]]):
** Despite being helpless in combat and painfully knowing it, Sulia Gaudeamus keeps going on and doing her best to help Terry, Joe, Andy and Mai stop her evil brother, Laocorn, and save him from himself. [[spoiler:And if she has to commit suicide to save him... she will.]]
** Kim's wife, Myenungsuk. When Kim was in the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle, she kept her cool and her trust in him, refusing to cry and break down for the sake of him and their kids as well as herself.
%%** Mai is this too, despite her bad luck in battles. More noticeable in the games, tho.
%%* Rana Lingchen from ''Manga/{{Freezing}}''.
* Tohru Honda from ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' [[PlayingWithATrope plays with this trope]]. She still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole DysfunctionJunction with their trauma. Then we learn that [[spoiler: this is her way of dealing with all the pain in her life--she's not exactly a StepfordSmiler, as she is sincerely happy often, but she also uses it as a way to keep from succumbing to grief and accepting that her beloved mother is gone.]] And then... [[spoiler: it's reconstructed and reinforced: when a maddened and despaired [[BigBad Akito]] tries to definitely break her as the members of the DysfunctionJunction are being released of their curses... Tohru acknowledges that not so strong part of herself, accepts it, and manages to ''kindly speak to Akito and offer her kindness as well''. This finally breaks the vicious cycle that has trapped the Sohma clan, and even when Tohru is severely injured after falling off the cliff she's standing, it kickstarts Akito's HeelFaceTurn, and helps Tohru herself to deal with her own suffering.]]
%%* Winry Rockbell and May Chang from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. Riza Hawkeye and Izumi Curtis are adult versions.
* ''Manga/{{Fuuka}}'': Fuuka is an optimistic, energetic girl - and once she gets inspired, it would probably take a speeding truck to dislodge the idea from her head.
* Hajime Ichinose from ''Anime/GatchamanCrowds''. She's actually so cheerful and strongwilled that [[spoiler: she can get Berg Katze to back off her case, simply because they is ''no'' darkness in her heart]].
* Maya Kitajima and Ayumi Himekawa from ''Manga/GlassMask''. The first decides to fulfill her dream of being an actress despite how odds always go against her, the latter refuses to have things handed to her and wants be famous for her own merits.
* Hanako from ''Manga/GoodbyeMyRoseGarden'' may be an easily flustered bookworm, but she's notably strong-willed and determined, speaking out against any injustice she witnesses or experiences. In her EstablishingCharacterMoment, when a book publisher brushes off her attempts to contact the writer Victor Franks, with his justification being that Franks would be uninterested in a woman's "emotional" writing, Hanako ''snaps'' and tells him that she didn't cross an ocean simply to be mocked. The noblewoman Alice Douglas witnesses this outburst, and later cites Hanako's unshakeable will as the very thing that made her decide to hire her.
* Wendy Garret of ''Anime/GunXSword'' has all the stubbornness of the {{Determinator}} combined with a sometimes inordinate amount of optimism. The introductory narrative to the second episode explicitly indicates that Wendy symbolizes hope in opposition to the despair of her partner, Van, but it wouldn't be hard to figure that out without the narration.
* Ohana Matsumae, the main character of ''Anime/HanasakuIroha'', is an interesting take on this Trope in that her pluckiness is presented as both a weakness and a strength. On one hand, her optimism and sincere desire to help people lets her accomplish some good things, but on the flipside her tendency to dive headfirst into something without a solid gameplan does backfire on her from time to time.
* ''Anime/HelloSandybell'': Sandybell Christie. She always stands up to the stuck up Kitty's bullying, and despite having barely any leads, she tries her best to find her biological mother.
* Most of the girls in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''. These're be comfirmed in their profile especially:
** Belarus is described as one by Russia. But he quickly adds: [[{{Yandere}} "In]] [[StalkerWithACrush a]] [[AbhorrentAdmirer bad way."]]
** Resident LadyOfWar Vietnam is one too, as her profile says she's "a very headstrong woman" and that "there are many strong women in her history".
** Taiwan gets her profile in the fourth manga volume ("An island girl nation with a headstrong and easygoing personality!") She shows it via cheering up Vietnam, teasing her brothers, and interacting with all of them as an equal. "It's okay, us Taiwanese don't believe in bad fortunes!" It's confirmed by her ImageSong, [[http://hetalia.livejournal.com/12042065.html?thread=227612497#t227612497 "Poipoipoi."]] 'Poi' means "poof," and it's used in-context as "making problems and bad luck go POOF!"
** And throw Prussia inside for a [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male example]].
** Poland is an even better one. Who says that a WholesomeCrossdresser [[ValleyGirl Valley Boy]] can't be [[{{Determinator}} unfailingly stubborn]] as well?
** Korea, too. He will never ever give up chasing after his siblings, saying stuff "belongs to him" and being almost always unfailingly cheerful while doing so.
** [[TeamMom Ukraine's]] latest profile says that she [[BewareTheNiceOnes "will stand her ground until the last,"]] and in-comic [[{{Bokukko}} Belgium]] seems to almost refer to herself as one.
--->'''Belgium:''' I may be a bit plain, but I'm doing my best!
** WordOfGod refers to [[ProperLady Liechtenstein]] as mature and strong-willed. Considering that she handles her [[{{Tsundere}} older]] [[TheGunslinger brother]] [[BigBrotherInstinct Switzerland]]'s mood swings rather calmly and skillfully, it's '''not''' an InformedAbility.
** There's also [[{{Shorttank}} Seychelles]], who tries hard just to get people to know her name. She keeps doing it, and also manages to keep both England's arrogant behavior ''and'' France's lechery at bay.
** Also the Principality of Wy, in a LittleMissSnarker way.
** Even Monaco, the resident {{Ojou}} has shades of this with sketches of her [[ActionGirl in armor]] and having her profile describe her as someone who worries a lot, but gives off a proud impression. She also has an attitude like this when it comes to [[TheGambler poker.]]
** Belgium, too. She sometimes frets over her AloofBigBrother Netherlands, but most of the time she keeps her bright smile and her teasing, cheerful behavior no matter what.
** ''The'' example in the series, however, is Hungary. Shown clearly not just in the profile, but in her interaction with pretty much everyone: she takes her {{Meido}} position in stride despite how it's not exactly easy, fights the aforementioned Prussia [[BoisterousBruiser without hesitation]], refuses to stay put when someone she dislikes is around...
%%* Rei Miyamoto from ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead''.
* ''Literature/IHadThatSameDreamAgain'': Nanoka has a bit of an attitude problem and tends to look down on her classmates for not seeing things like she does, but on the whole she is optimistic, courageous, and tries her best to help and encourage people.
* ''Manga/HikaruNoDensetsu'': Hikari is determined to be an Olympian no matter what, and trains rigorously for the day she'll get to fight for the World Cup. Her inspiration is the RealLife celebrity Diliana Georgieva, who rose from an ordinary woman to being one Bulgaria's greatest athletes.
* ''Anime/IsabelleOfParis'': Even though she's under house arrest and suspected of being a traitor, fifteen-year-old Isabelle Laustin becomes a double agent for France and rebels against the government by shaving her head and becoming a spy. She even has the audacity to walk up the Captain of the French military and BitchSlap him.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** Kagome Higurashi has got self-esteem problems, is the reincarnation of a priestess who CameBackWrong, her {{love interest|s}} can be a real jerk despite having a good heart, her friends have huge troubles of their own... and yet she stands by them no matter what. Sure, she has more than one breakdown, but she still stands by her friends and [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld is more concerned with her love life and her grades.]]
** Rin may not be much use in a fight, but let's face it, she's brave as hell. Heck, the first time she meets Sesshomauru she doesn't run screaming when he snarls at her but actually dumps water on him; and when Jaken's sick she climbs a mountain filled with demons to find a cure for him, without a second thought.
%%* Kotoko Aihara ([[spoiler:later, Nurse Kotoko Irie]]) from ''Manga/ItazuraNaKiss''.
* ''Anime/JeanieWithTheLightBrownHair'': Jeanie. Diana won't let her go to medical school? She argues and convinces her to agree. The children at the orphanage play pranks on her and don't trust her? She pranks them back and impresses them, and they become her friend. A child goes missing? Jeanie convinces everyone to help find them using betting money as a reward. No matter what obstacle appears, Jeanie is ready to throw herself at it and win.
* ''Anime/KaleidoStar'':
** Sora Naegino practically embodies this trope. No matter how much TrainingFromHell she is put through or what sort of abuse she receives, she always manages to pull through using sheer optimism and determination. And if she feels her strength sapping away, she will soon recover it. It's also kind of a plot point, as [[spoiler: if she stays down for too long, she will stop seeing FairyCompanion Fool and completely lose her chance.]]
** May Wong becomes this once she gets over her JerkAss phase. Anna Heart, Mia Guillem, Rosetta Passel and Katie Taylor are already there, and the backstory gives us [[spoiler: Sophie Oswald]].
* Nanami Momozono from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss.'' Her defining character trait, besides ChronicHeroSyndrome, is that she likes to see other people happy and will go out of her way to make them happy. Even if it means that she has to get hurt or sacrifice something to make it so.
* ''Anime/KatriGirlOfTheMeadows'': Katri Ukkonemei is a headstrong Finnish girl who's strength inspires others. She never learned how to read, so she taught herself by constantly visiting Palki Village's library, and [[spoiler: works her way into getting a scholarship]] despite being a mere FarmersGirl.
* While Ryuko Matoi from ''Anime/KillLaKill'' is more of a female {{Determinator}}, her OnlyFriend Mako Mankanshoku is this through and through. She always comes out of any situation with a smile on her face, no matter what. She's pushed to her limits when [[spoiler: sharing a stand with the demoted Elite Four while cheering Ryuko on during the King of the Hill Final Battle]], resorting in her cheering for ''herself'' so she won't crack under the pressure.
* Yuriko of ''Manga/KotouraSan''. Nothing seems to stop this [[TheUnfettered fiercely determined]] young woman in her quest to change [[CrapsaccharineWorld society's]] [[AbominationAccusationAttack views]] [[FantasticRacism against]] PsychicPowers.
* Madoka Kyouno from ''Anime/LagrangeTheFlowerOfRinne'', going so far as to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxJuI8YWx20 sing in the cockpit during a mecha battle]]... the same battle in which she deliberately tries to keep collateral damage to areas she knows to be empty of bystanders (such as the lot of a recently demolished house or a shop that had gone out of business the week before). Considering the genre she's in, she angsts remarkably little - and even when she does, [[AngstWhatAngst she shrugs it off quickly]] and jumps right back to the other extreme on the optimist-realist scale. It is later revealed that she wasn't always like this: [[spoiler:after her mother's death, Madoka was a depressed wreck until her cousin inspired her into the energetic girl always ready to help everyone regardless of what needs to be doing]]. Truly, Madoka's motto in life is JumpedAtTheCall: she doesn't pilot because she ''has'' to, she pilots because she ''wants'' to help.
* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': In spite of her mother's death and her grandfather refusing to accept her for being half-Japanese, Lynn strives to be accepted in the Russell family no matter what. Initially, she was broken by [[spoiler:learning her father would formally marry her WickedStepmother and tried to escape back to Japan to prevent it from happening. When her father asks that she stay and breaks it off, Lynn works on being accepted through her own merits - and eventually does when she wins the Lady's Crest and represents Great Britain in the Olympics, even saving the Russell family house thanks to a bet she made with Victor Reynolds. Finally, her grandfather accepts her.]]
* Simone of ''Anime/LaSeineNoHoshi'' is just a peasant girl ([[spoiler: ReallyRoyaltyReveal or so she thought]]), but from studying under Duke de Forges, she becomes a vigilante that kicks the tar out of France's corrupt elite regularly.
* Lakshu from ''Manga/LegendOfHeavenlySphereShurato''. She can't fight, the Goddess/mother figure she's a priestess of is TakenForGranite, her crush and her friends get hurt and/or die as they try to restore her... and Lakshu will help no matter what.
* ''Anime/LucyMayOfTheSouthernRainbow'': Lucy-May is this constistently. Arthur says she can't have a dingo unless it's trained? She domesticates it. She can't speak to Hercules because of the LanguageBarrier? She communicates non-verbally. No matter what problem she faces, Lucy-May always tries to solve it.
* ''Anime/MacrossDelta'': Freyja Wion. Even her homeworld declaring war on the rest of the galaxy ([[YouCantGoHomeAgain indirectly exiling her from it]]), being involved in the middle of multiple war zones as part of her career, and [[spoiler: finding out her love interest's father bombed her homeworld]] ultimately do not stop her from pursuing her dream to sing with the idol group Walkure, even if they do take her aback, and she ultimately holds her energetic personality and kind heart to the end.
** She follows her predecessor, [[Anime/MacrossFrontier Ranka Lee]], in this regard. While Ranka is significantly less energetic, she is no less determined to be an idol and pursue her dreams (and her {{love interest|s}} Alto), even despite her DarkAndTroubledPast and frequent setbacks.
%%* Elenore Baker from ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'' is pretty much this the entire series.
%%* Why would anyone consider Hikaru from ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' ''not'' to be one of these?
%%** Umi, Fuu, Presea, Princess Tarta, Princess Tata, Aska and [[spoiler: post-HeelFaceTurn!Caldina]], too.
* Anju Kitahara from ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', a quiet YamatoNadeshiko who handles her [[DelicateAndSickly ill girl]] and LoveHurts problems with amazing strength.
* Sayaka Yumi from ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Her mother was dead. Her father cared for her, but he was MarriedToTheJob and nearly never was there for her. the guy she liked was a sexist jerk (okay, JerkWithAHeartOfGold). One of her classmates was a borderline StalkerWithACrush. And her country -and the whole world- was under attack of a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds and MadScientist who took lessons from Hitler. And she still was brave, hopeful and optimistic, not allowing anything got her down for long -she had several HeroicBSOD moments, but they did not last long-, and trusting they would win and things would get better, not matter what.
* Relena Peacecraft, Hilde Schbeiker, Sally Po, Cathy Bloom, Long Meiran and Lucrezia Noin from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''. All of these young women knew they were getting into huge messes, and that they'd likely not get out of there alive [[spoiler: (and Meiran ultimately died)]], but neither gave up on their purposes.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'':
** A dark example is Nena Trinity. While throwing the VSign around, she absolutely refuses to give up her quest for three things: revenge, survival and (after achieving those) happiness, even in the face of death. [[spoiler:[[KarmicDeath She doesn't succeed, as her early screw ups catch up with her]].]]
** A lighter example is Mileina Vashti, almost always plucky and happy despite being caught in the middle of a war. [[spoiler:She lives to tell]]. Also Mileina's OneeSama and fellow {{bridge bunn|ies}}y, Feldt Grace. [[spoiler:She gets very broken in season 1, then some more in season 2, but also pulls through and lives.]]
* Ochaco Uraraka from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' was deliberately written this way in order to have a more natural relationship with the more pessimistic and self-conscious main character, Izuku Midoriya.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Hinata Hyuuga. Her other theme, aside from her [[NiceGirl nice, gentle personality]] and [[FanOfUnderdog her love for Naruto]], is her self-improvement and shredding her ShrinkingViolet side. She's one of the first people to adopt Naruto's ninja way: knowing that he's watching, she refuses to give up against Neji despite severe injuries, even standing up one last time after the referee ends the match to keep her from getting ''killed''. She reaffirmed her pluckiness by doing what she could to protect Naruto from Pain, fully knowing that this might be her last stand. The manga made it both awesome and heartbreaking, [[AdaptationExpansion the anime]] made it ''doubly awesome'' and ''doubly heartbreaking''.
** Also Sakura Haruno. See her fights vs Ino (where she deliberately pressed Ino's BerserkButton to avoid getting sympathy and broke Ino's Mind Switch Jutsu, albeit with a little help from Naruto's cheering) and Sasori (where she got serious injuries ''and kept fighting anyway'').
* Many girls from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' qualify, but [[ShrinkingViolet Nodoka]] surpasses them all. ''Every time'' she's encountered an enemy, despite having no combat skills whatsoever, her first reaction is to get out her artifact and fight, even when up against opponents completely out of her league, even when ''everyone else'' is panicking, [[HeroicBSOD lost in despair]], or running away, even when she only ''just'' figured out that magic even ''exists''. In the middle of the battle between Fate's party and Ala Alba at Ostia instead of retreating with the rest of the party she forced Kotarou to take her ''right in front of Fate'' so she could get his true name and then interrogated him ''as he was attempting to petrify her''. And of course, when [[FromBadToWorse everything went wrong]] and [[spoiler:several of her friends were erased from existence right in front of her by one of the most powerful characters in the entire series she gets up, steals HIS artifact, downloads the instruction manual ''[[{{Telepathy}} from his brain]]'', and [[WeakButSkilled teleports away]] so she can tell the rest of Ala Alba they're taking the battle to the enemy]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Nami despite her horrific childhood and being a DamselInDistress on occasion has displayed Plucky Girl qualities since she was little and is still highly adventurous and bold as a grown woman. Even when OvershadowedByAwesome she's proved be invaluable and supportive crewmate even when the Straw Hats have suffered a humiliating defeat such as in Water 7.
** Vivi's greatest trait is her nigh-unbreakable optimism and pluck even when faced with the massive threat of criminal organisation ripping her country apart from within. Her wild bravery has freaked out her guardian Igaram (who fears Vivi will become a pirate) and inspired her friends the Straw Hats to save her country.
** Kaya, after having spent an arc DelicateAndSickly recovers and journeys out of her village determined to become a doctor, inspired by Usopp whom she adores.
** Deconstructed with Tashigi who is a Plucky Girl, but this attitude gives her the terrible habit of picking fights with people that are way out of her league, especially ones such as Robin or Law, who have powers that easily render Tashigi's own abilities useless.
* Ringo Oginome and Masako Natsume from ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}''. Himari graduates into this on episode 18, which also shows us ''exactly'' how indomitably plucky [[spoiler:the deceased Momoka]] was.
* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'':
** When told that the boy who rescued her two years ago has gone missing (and hasn't seen since), Yellow immediately agrees to go out and look for him despite the fact that she barely knows anything about Pokemon battling.
** Green could also count. She's usually upbeat and optimistic despite having some of the worst luck ever. Especially at the beginning of the ''[=FireRed/LeafGreen=]'' arc, where her parents disappear ''right in front of her'' (though that trauma ''does'' give her a HeroicBSOD for a while).
* Pick any MagicalGirlWarrior from ''Anime/PrettyCure''. There are lots to choose from, and chances are that they are as good with [[GoodOldFisticuffs their fists]] as they are with their magic and are completely unafraid to prove it against anybody from the MonsterOfTheWeek to the BigBad himself. Standout examples include [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Nagisa Misumi/Cure Black]], [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar Saki Hyuuga/Cure Bloom]], [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 Nozomi Yumehara/Cure Dream, Urara Kasugano/Cure Lemonade]], [[Anime/FreshPrettyCure Miki Aono/Cure Berry]], [[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure Erika Kurumi/Cure Marine]], [[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Hibiki Hojo/Cure Melody]], [[Anime/SmilePrettyCure Miyuki Hoshizora/Cure Happy, Yayoi Kise/Cure Peace]], [[Anime/DokiDokiPrecure Mana Aida/Cure Heart, Alice Yotsuba/Cure Rosetta]], [[Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure Megumi Aino/Cure Lovely, Hime Shirayuki/Cure Princess]], [[Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure Haruka Haruno/Cure Flora]], and [[Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode Ichika Usami/Cure Whip]].
* Tomoka Osakada from ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' never ever loses her smile, her stubborness, and her will to support Seigaku and her beloved Ryoma through thick and thin. An Tachibana from Fudomine is somewhat more serious, but she's not to be trifled with either.
%%* Miyako and ''specially'' Chiriko from ''Manga/PrivatePrince''.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
** Sayaka Miki. Shame that it's [[CrapsaccharineWorld that kind of world]], as it doesn't end too well for the poor "hero of justice". [[spoiler:Fortunately for her (and many others), in the GrandFinale Madoka graduates to one... and is so powerful and strong that ''[[AbstractApotheosis she rewrites the universe itself]]'', and grants Sayaka a much more peaceful end.]]
** Hitomi Shizuki is referred as such by her seiyuu Creator/RyokoShintani, as well as by Creator/AoiYuuki (Madoka) and Creator/ChiwaSaito (Homura). She's an interesting example in how this trope has both strengths and flaws: she always smiles and tries to be there for her friends, but ''the'' time Hitomi tries to directly resolve a conflict [[spoiler: via making both Sayaka and herself face their shared feelings for Kamijou]], [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom she commits a huge mistake]].
** ''Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica'':
*** As opposed to the main series, Sayaka ''does'' get to play this straight here, especially via protecting herself and Hitomi [[spoiler:during the witch attack on their school]]. [[spoiler:Too bad they can't save Madoka.]]
*** Speaking of ''Oriko Magica'' we've got [[TokenMiniMoe Yuma]] [[TheWoobie Chitose]]. "[[RousingSpeech Someday]] [[DoNotGoGentle is not today]]", indeed.
** From ''Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica'', there is Kazumi herself. [[spoiler:[[DespairEventHorizon She found out that she's a clone, her friends are betraying her, and her memory is all lies.]]]] [[SkewedPriorities All she needs]] [[MoodWhiplash is]] [[BigEater some food]], and then ''[[ThePowerOfFriendship she bounces back.]]''
* ''Anime/{{Pollyanna}}'': Pollyanna Whittier is determined to remain a BlitheSpirit no matter what, and invents The Glad Game to keep her head high in the face of whatever life throws at her. [[BreakTheCutie And boy, does it throw a lot]].
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': There was a time when Ukyo wanted vengeance against Genma Saotome for renegging on his promise to wed her to Ranma, by abandoning her. And despite having caught up to them (years later), she's no closer to achieving her goal of becoming Ranma's bride. You'd think she'd be crushed, but she's actually... kinda okay with it. After all, he calls her "his cute fiancee" and she gets to attend class with him. For her, it's a start. In the meantime, she runs a successful business and tries to think of mostly nonviolent ways to absolve Ranma's engagement to Akane, [[ShipperOnDeck by trying to pair Akane off with Ryoga.]]
%%* Utena Tenjou from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', who's both this and a ActionGirl.
* Kiku Takane from ''Manga/RingNiKakero'', who will always support and look after her little brother Ryuuji and work hard to guide him through their shared dream of reaching the World Boxing Championship.
* Juliet Capulet from ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'' who has more moments of BreakTheCutie than her play counterpart. The poor girl's parents were killed when she was both dethroned and forced to be a NobleFugitive at a young age, forced to dress as a boy most of her life, then being shocked and unprepared as she remembers her parents' death was forced and expected by her guardians to lead a revolution when she's not ready to. And to top it all off, she falls in love with the son of the man who killed her parents and though she has a moment of giving up and wishing she was dead she still retains her sweet lively fiery and lighthearted personality and is eventually ready to lead a revolution.
* ''Literature/TheSacredBlacksmith'' has Cecily, who in the anime, despite losing and needing saving a lot, never stops practicing and fighting.
* Tuxedo Mask from ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' could definitely be considered a [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male example]]. He'll face [[MonsterOfTheWeek monsters of the week]] and the QuirkyMinibossSquad just as quickly as the girls, and his faith and encouragement of Usagi is often key to saving the day.
* Saori Kido aka Athena from ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. And the same goes to the Athena that came before her, Sasha from ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas''. Both girls are the local {{Barrier Maiden}}s and go through quite the BreakTheCutie, but refuse to give up.
%%** Also Miho, Aquila Marin, Shunrei, Princess Flair and little Helen (the two last from {{filler}} anime arcs) of ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. Also Ophicus Shaina, after her CharacterDevelopment.
* Cleao Everlasting from ''Literature/SorcererStabberOrphen'' will ''not'' let Orphen go kill himself before he returns her the Sword of Baltanders that her father gave her before dying, and which he needs for a very important quest. So what if she has to tag along with him and his apprentice Majic despite all the dangers it'll bring to her? She ''will'' follow them, become the TeamMom, and pull through no matter what.
* Ai from ''Literature/SundayWithoutGod'' is brave, optimistic, and determined, and she goes out her way to help those in need. Of course, since she's resolved to save the world God has abandoned, this is the attitude she needs.
%%* Megumi "Megu" Minami and Sakurako Yukihira from ''Manga/TanteiGakuenQ''. Shino Katagiri is an adult version.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Nia Teppelin will tell you she's not going to die. To your face. [[DefiantCaptive While you're shoving a pistol into her forehead. Or about to snap her in half with your claws. Or about to demateralize her.]] She may not be able to fight you, but she ''will'' tell you to fuck off (only very [[IFeelAngry politely]]), because Simon's on his way, and that's a wave of pain you don't want to happen.
** Yoko, who went on and stayed as a cheerful, reliable and protective CoolBigSis despite all the shit that happened to the Dai-Guren Brigade.
* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'':
** Pao-Lin/Dragon Kid and Karina/Blue Rose. Dragon is a headstrong LittleMissBadass who goes all out in superheroing; Rose hates [[FauxActionGirl the raw deal she got as a heroine]] but keeps going on because it lets her save lives.
** As of episode 21, Kaede Kaburagi has graduated into this. [[spoiler:So her beloved father was framed and she has just found out he's a superhero? Kaede immediately decides to go help him with her budding powers.]] And this is a ''ten year old girl''.
* Queen Shushou from ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms''. [[StepfordSmiler Youko]], [[RoyalBrat Shoukei]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Suzu]] don't start terribly plucky, but CharacterDevelopment soon fixes that.
* Several girls from ''Manga/VampireKnight'' - specially Yuuki, Yori and Fuuka [[spoiler:before she dies]].
%%* Anzu Mazaki from ''Anime/YuGiOh'' though Mai Kujaku, Rebecca Hopkins and Shizuka Kawai also have their moments.
%%** Jaden Yuki from ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' counts as well as a [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male example]].
* Keiko Yukimura from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. While she's usually a NeutralFemale, it's pretty amazing she pulls through after all the traumatizing events her boyfriends' life/career puts her in. In the manga, she didn't hesitate to ask to be taken to the Dark Tournament when she found out Yusuke had gone there. She may be a bit frailer in the anime, but she still does her best to be there for her friends when needed. To different degrees there's also Yukina, Shizuru, Botan, Ayame, Hinageshi from TheMovie, Kokou, Natsume, the Lady Doctor [[spoiler:aka Yuusuke's ancestor]] and [[spoiler:[[SheIsTheKing Mukuro]]]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/BearAndBreakfast'', Anni is described as "brave, but clumsy" as she and her friends set off for adventure. She keeps her head up high and hopes to sniff out goodies along the way.
* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'':
** While a number of girls qualify for this in some shape or form, Makoto Nanaya clearly stands head and shoulders above the rest. If she can stand to rebuild a positive outlook on life in the wake of a lifetime of wall-to-wall FantasticRacism, you're going to need some heavy ordinance to break her down - physical injury, financial woes, mind games, [[spoiler:a trip through [[EldritchLocation the Boundary]],]] and [[ManipulativeBastard Yuuki Terumi's]] [[MindRape mental penis]] don't work.
** To a much lesser but constantly increasing extent, Noel Vermillion. She began as a ShrinkingViolet with huge issues, but after the events of ''Continuum Shift'' and leading up to ''Chrono Phantasma'', she seems to have [[TookALevelInBadass taken a few levels in badass]] [[CharacterDevelopment and developed a more assertive but still kind personality]]. And as her best friend, Makoto helped her quite a bit. So yeah, try stopping her from [[spoiler: [[DeclarationOfProtection saving]] [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl her other best friend Tsubaki]] ]]. '''Try it'''.
* [[Characters/{{Castlevania}} Maria Renard]] from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'', doubled as a BadassInDistress. Right after being freed, you can control her all the way from where she's held captive to beat up Dracula all by herself and her pets (which is a case for most people anyway, since she's stronger and faster than Ricther.)
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'':
** Sigrun is unusually cheerful for being a member of a group of {{Death Seeker}}s with the goal of achieving a HeroicSacrifice, joking that she'll try harder next time whenever she gets through a battle. During party banter with Nathaniel, she states that being {{Wangst}}y about it doesn't really help her much, and demonstrates that it would just get annoying really fast.
** [[JeanneDArchetype Leliana]] in ''Origins'' lives through a tremendous amount of [[TraumaCongaLine nasty]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast stuff]], yet comes out of it stubborn, courageous, and possibly the sweetest girl you will ever meet.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': Princess Alena never lets anything get her down or stop her. Even though her kingdom has been destroyed and her father is missing, she is completely confident that she can find the culprit and punch it to death.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': It does not matter what happens to Bianca Whitaker (which includes [[spoiler:being kidnapped and turned to stone right after giving birth to her children, and spending eight years as a statue before being rescued]]), she never loses hope that the Hero can defeat Nimzo, and she does not hesitate in rejoining her husband to fight the very monsters who tried to destroy her life.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', aside of all the girls who double as ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' {{Action Girl}}s, adds ladies like Tsugumi Sendou and Hotaru Futaba. In TheMovie, Kim's wife Myeungsuk also qualifies as such.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Krile from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''. She's already an orphan when you meet her. Then [[spoiler:watches her grandfather die right in front of her. ''Then'' his spirit tells her she needs to take his place in defeating the warlock that just killed him]]. And she [[BadassAdorable does]], while still being cheerful enough to poke fun at the hero and pioneer the role that would appear in every numbered Final Fantasy after her.
** Relm in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is a ten year old girl who talks smack to everyone and constantly gives her grandfather, Strago, grief. She's also a powerful magic user and she can sketch monsters in battle to use their abilities against them. Even after [[spoiler: Kefka wrecks the world]], Relm is still the same smart mouth optimist she always was and isn't totally fussed by [[spoiler: the world being destroyed]] when you see her again.
** Aerith from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. She had a pretty terrible upbringing as a flower girl in the slums, but she still maintains a feisty and flirtatious personality (but also a kind heart too), and she never backs down from anyone. [[ActionGirl Pretty hands on]] for the WhiteMagicianGirl too. Unfortunately this independent streak of hers ends in disaster when she takes the responsibility of bringing down Sephiroth on herself, leaves the party and [[ItWasHisSled is murdered by the man she was trying to stop]]. [[spoiler:Given the final shot of the game before the credits roll though, ''that may have been her plan all along''.]]
** Tifa from the same game is strong case of this too. Her mother died when she was little and she fell off a rickety bridge at MT Nible convinced her mom was at the summit. Cloud, her crush left Niblehiem [[ThePromise promising]] to become a legendary SOLDIER and come dashing to her rescue whenever she needed him, but she never saw him in the papers and he (seemingly) never returned. Then Sephiroth came to to inspect the town's reactor, went nuts and burned everything down, killed her father and cut her down as well. Despite all this and losing her second home in Midgar a few years later, Tifa has remained [[ActionGirl strong]] as ever. She even provides moral support to Cloud and Barret without letting her own sadness show.
** Selphie Tilmitt from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. Her original home was destroyed, many of her friends were killed, the world was about to end, and she ''still'' maintained her plucky attitude and sense of humor. Worryingly, she's also always the first one to propose an excessively violent solution to a problem, such as skinning a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Moomba]] to use as a disguise for escaping captivity.
--->''"Blow it to smithereens with a rocket launcher! BOOOOOM!"''
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' gives us both female and male examples:
** Linde from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem''. Alongside Maria, post-HeelFaceTurn!Minerva, Yumina, Lena, Elice, Tiki, Feena, etc. ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]'' adds Celica, Sonya, etc. Merric and Rickard are [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male examples]].
** From ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', we have several either in the WhiteMage or the ActionGirl fields.
*** The first generation: Adean, Briggid, Tailto [[spoiler:until she's ''horribly'' broken]], Ferry, Mahnya, Raquesis, Sylvia and Ayra. Dew is TheOneGuy, sorta.
*** The second generation: Lana (and Mana), Patty (and Daisy), Fee (and Femina), Nanna (and Janne), Altena, Larcei (and Radney), Leen (and Laylea). On the enemy side, we have the AntiVillain Ishtar. On the rare male example side, there's Corple (and Sharlow) and ''specially'' Seliph.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'': The aforementioned Nanna alongside Mareeta, Tanya, Karin, post-HeelFaceTurn!Olwen, Sara, Safy, Lara, Tina, Eda, Linoan, Misha and Princess Miranda, with Evayle [[spoiler:or better said, an amnesiac Briggid]], Machyua, Selphina and post-HeelFaceTurn!Amalda as older versions. TheHero Leif and Asvel are rare male examples.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** Nino the Mage/Sage. Oh poor little innocent, sweet, freaking ''determined'' Nino.
*** Lyndis/Lyn, Louise, Priscilla, Serra, Farina, Fiora and Rebecca, too. A good part of Florina's CharacterDevelopment comes from her doing what she can to become one. If you want rare male examples, look no further than Sain, Guy and Wil.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'' (set 20 years after ''The Blazing Blade'') Princess Lilina is this and some more. Makes sense since her dad is Lord Hector [[spoiler:and her mom can either be Lyn, Farina or Florina]]. Other than her, we have: Clarine, Ellen, Princess Guinevere, Thany, Thite, Lalum, Sue, Milady and Fir. Adult versions include: Echidna, Igrene, Cecilia and Niime. "Mayfly" versions include [[spoiler:the dragon Fa]] [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male examples]] include Lugh, [[spoiler: one of Nino's sons]] and TheHero Roy [[spoiler: whose mom can be either Fiora or Lyn]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'':
*** Princess Tana. So plucky that she refuses to stay on the sidelines even when her brother Innes demands her to do so, helps both Eirika and Ephraim as much as she can [[SkilledButNaive despite her limited battle experience]], can convince the very distraught Cormag to defect ''with words alone'' [[spoiler:and hook up with him if they have an A support]], and pulls Ephraim out of his HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler:he sees that he can't bring Lyon back and loses one of the stones to him]].
*** Eirika, too. Despite her naivete and seeing her kingdom and others go down, she keeps going on.
*** And L'Arachel, too. So plucky that she can bring Eirika out of an HeroicBSOD [[spoiler:when she has to assume that Lyon's too far gone to be truly saved, after his SuperpoweredEvilSide uses him to steal the MacGuffin from her]].
*** Also Natasha and Amelia. Both young ladies come from Grado, an Empire that is starting to invade and threaten other countries, but they decide to fight back and join Eirika and/or Ephraim's groups so they can save the world and Grado itself.
*** The rare male examples? Ewan and Ross; both begin as quite weak fighters but evolve into much stronger ones without losing their cheerful dispositions.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'': Mist, most prominently. Also to some extent Mia, Jill, Lucia, Elincia after her CharacterDevelopment, Sanaki, Laura, Micaiah, Heather, Eda and others. The rare male examples are Rhys, Oscar, Rolf, Boyd, Geoffrey and ''specially'' [[{{Keet}} Kieran.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'':
*** A female Avatar (default name: Robin), Sully, Lissa, Maribelle, Nowi, Tharja ([[{{Yandere}} in a... strange way]], that is), Cordelia, Sumia (who's normally more of a submissive badass), Emmeryn (specially when she [[spoiler: fearlessly goes through an HeroicSuicide to stop an upcoming war]], [[spoiler: Say'ri]] and [[spoiler: the grown-up Tiki]]. [[spoiler: And maybe [[TheLostlenore Ke]]'[[PosthumousCharacter ri]], if Lon'qu's testimony is to be believed]].) Also the male Avatar, Prince Chrom, Stahl, Vaike, Henry, Donnel and Ricken as rare male examples.
*** From the second generation there's [[spoiler: Sully]]'s daughter Kjelle, [[spoiler: Sumia]]'s daughter Cynthia, [[spoiler: Cordelia]]'s daughter Severa, [[spoiler: Nowi]]'s daughter Nah, [[spoiler: Tharja]]'s daughter Noire ([[BewareTheQuietOnes in her]] [[SplitPersonality own]] [[SuddenlyShouting way]]) and [[spoiler: Chrom's daughter Lucina]]. And there are some [[GenderInvertedTrope rare male examples]] like [[spoiler: Olivia]]'s son Inigo and [[spoiler: Lissa]]'s son Owain. Oh, and Morgan counts in here whether as a boy or a girl [[spoiler: unless they get corrupted by Grima after the death of his Avatar mom/dad]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' continues the tradition with the Female Avatar (default name: Kamui or Corrin), Azura, Hinoka, Elise, Camilla, Mozu, Oboro, Selena [[spoiler: aka an OlderAndWiser version of the aforementioned Severa]], Felicia, Peri ([[CuteAndPsycho in a rather terrifying way]]), Effie, Hana, Reina, Kagero, Anna, Sophie, Ophelia and Soleil. The rare male examples include the Male Avatar, Silas, Leo, Arthur, Odin [[spoiler: aka an OlderAndWiser Owain]], Laslow [[spoiler: aka an OlderAndWiser Inigo]], Azama, Hinata, Siegbert, Asugi, Percy, Kiragi, Shiro and Forrest. And Kana counts whether as a boy or a girl too.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEchoesShadowsOfValentia'' fleshes out its once rather flat cast, and as a result many of the girls become this. The biggest examples are the female lead Celica and the cleric Silque, and they're joined soon by Faye, Clair, Mathilda, the Whitewing Sisters (Palla, Catria and Est), Mae, Tatiana, Sonya, Emma, Shade and Yuzu. There are also male examples: the male lead Alm, Gray, Tobin, Lukas, Clive, Forsyth, Atlas, [[spoiler:Celica's half-brother]] Conrad, Jesse, Valbar and ''especially'' Leon.
* ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'': Lynne gets killed [[TheyKilledKennyAgain no less than five times in one night]], but she'll be damned before that will keep her from laughing it all off with her [[ThemeMusicPowerup cheerful theme tune]] every time Sissel has to go back in time to undo her deaths. And then there is the bravery she displays when she [[spoiler:gets trapped in a sinking submarine with Kamila]]. [[TheCutie Kamila]] couldn't wish for a finer [[CoolBigSis protective older sister surrogate]] even if she wanted to try.
* The main trait of Kat the heroine of ''VideoGame/GravityRush'', constantly upbeat and cheerful and [[TheCape actively enjoys being a hero]]. It's revealed Kat's former self was once weak and vulnerable but after falling to Hekseville and becoming a hero she is anything but weak.
* The title character of the freeware action/adventure ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' is a teenage girl who wakes up six months after an alien attack kills her family to discover that scientists have implanted nanotech in her to combat the invaders, but her only support is her little brother Dan, who has grown bloodthirsty, cynical and emotionally distant. Even after [[spoiler:she discovers that humanity is on the brink of extinction and the earth is a charred husk, she presses on with the mission Dan gives her. This first quest fails miserably, the second makes the situation even worse, and, depending on the player's actions, Iji fails to save her brother from an assassin, which [[HeroicBSOD traumatizes her horribly]]]]. And yet she still carries on. The player can choose to play her as an ActionGirl or pacifist; regardless, the final boss is awed by her determination.
* Kairi from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. She was prepared to take on ''[[TheBerserker Saix]]'' '''''unarmed''''' at one point, and [[PlayingWithFire Axel]] commented on her guts.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'': The KOF: KYO manga/game has Kyo's girlfriend Yuki, specially when she stands up to [[spoiler: Iori]] in the middle of a GoThroughMe. Not halfway bad for a BarrierMaiden GirlNextDoor.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Zelda in many of her incarnations is a courageous Plucky Girl, particularly her ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' versions. Even the extremely insecure ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' Zelda shows a playful side [[spoiler: and by the ending TookALevelInBadass by holding back Calamity Ganon]].
** Malon/Marin in both ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' and ''Ocarina of Time'' displays these qualities. The OOT version in particular remains strong despite her ranch getting taken over by Ingo and her father Talon ousted out, only fearing over Ingo hurting the horses not her own safety. Malon's AlternateUniverse counterparts Cremia and Romani from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]] are of the same mold, with Cremia putting up a brave face [[spoiler: despite knowing the moon is gonna crash into Termia and kill everyone]].
* From ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'' we get Cate Archer, superspy extraordinaire. Almost the entirety of UNITY believes a woman can't be a proper spy, her mentor is killed, every single agent has died before her, she's continually put on missions often promised to be simple but always end up extremely dangerous, and she's being [[spoiler: sabotaged]]. Of course this doesn't stop her. She gets bonus points for having been a very successful cat burglar, starting out when she was just a teenager.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** The female protagonist route added to ''VideoGame/Persona3'' in the PSP version turns the player character into one. The darker the game's plot gets, the more determinedly upbeat her dialogue options become.
** All of the ''VideoGame/Persona4'' girls show different shades of this after their Shadows are dealt with. Special mention goes to [[MissionControl Rise Kujikawa]], who [[spoiler:took control of her Persona, Himiko, ''right after the Shadow Rise fight'']].
** And beating them all out is Maya Amano from ''VideoGame/Persona2'', whose catchphrase is "Let's think positive!" She remains upbeat throughout ''Innocent Sin'', serving as a TeamMom for the group. Her pluckiness remains palpable even after she becomes a HeroicMime when promoted to Protagonist in ''Eternal Punishment''.
* Atari from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoQuest''; no matter how many lemons are thrown at her, be it in the form of her boss' rather unreasonable expectations, her "clients'" odd requests or even just her own incompetence, she always keeps a smile on her face, remaining enthusiastic and ready for action.
* Recette from the game ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'' fits this trope to a T. She's a young, naive, and overwhelmingly optimistic girl who, despite her desperate circumstances, is determined to make the best of them and is nice to most everyone (even people who previously tried to kill her!) She starts off the game in danger of being evicted from the only home she's ever known because her father irresponsibly ran off on an adventure and left behind a huge debt that she must now repay. In spite of this, Recette manages to keep a smile on her face and pay back her father's debts. She may act rather dumb at times and obsess over sweets, but ultimately Recette's [[MagneticHero infectious optimism and kindness]] is what wins her both customers ''and'' friends. Even the [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou player cannot help but be endeared to her!]]
%%* The sisters Nakoruru and Rimururu from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', as well as Cham-Cham and Charlotte Marie Colde.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** Jill Valentine has shades of this. [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil She's lost most of her colleagues]] to a MadScientist's deathtrap mansion, [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis had her the city she swore to protect get infested with zombies and then nuked]] and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 then was captured, shoved in a tube and turned into a]] BrainwashedAndCrazy SuperSoldier. Yet even after all that Jill is still willful as ever and just tells Chris to hurry up and save the world immediately after he brings her back to normal. Oh and last we hear from her? She's stuck in hospital naturally recovering but still wants to get back in the field as soon as possible.
** This is a central trait of Claire Redfield as well. A upbeat biking tomboy turned activist and welfare worker, Claire has [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 gone through]] the ZombieApocalypse, lost both her dearest allies Sherry and Leon to TheGovernment, had her {{love interest|s}} [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica Steve die in her arms]] and then [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 the human-rights agency she works for turned out to be evil]]. But Claire like her older brother Chris hasn't lost any of her righteousness and is the optimistic one of the Redfield siblings.
** Sherry displays such qualities throughout ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 RE6]]'' despite being an orphan confronted with near literal hell on earth. Her legal guardian [[BigBad Derek Simmons]] even comments on Sherry's constant compassion and optimism in a file... personally finding it absolutely [[EvilCannotComprehendGood intolerable and disgusting]].
* Quite a lot of the female characters from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''. Nearly every female character who has ever appeared in a ''Soul'' game is either this trope, or an IceQueen. Cassandra, Xianghua and Talim are this big time, Sophitia and Seung Mina were this in their earliest incarnations but grew out of it to eventually become [[ActionMom other]] [[CoolBigSis tropes]], and in the most recent game ''Soul Calibur V'', Pyrrha (specially when she manages to pull herself together after ''years'' of BreakTheCutie), Yan Leixia (who runs away to both refuse an ArrangedMarriage and to seek for adventure) and Natsu (Taki's pupil and one of Leixia's travel partners).
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** Chun-Li. Oh my, Chun-Li. The first ActionGirl in fighting game history simply can't be less. Followed by Cammy White, "Rainbow" Mika Nanakawa, Sakura Kasugano, Karin Kanzuki, Elena, Ibuki, Maki Genryusai, Makoto, Rose, Ingrid...
** In regards to non-fighting female charas, Yun's HotBlooded "non-girlfriend" Hoimei is this; considering how calm she is when around her, her little sister Shaomei might count too. Eliza Masters can be considered to be an OlderAndWiser version: she's not seen a lot but when she does appear she's almost always smiling and patient, and the mere fact that she's HappilyMarried to [[LovedINotHonorMore a dude who's very often fighting out there]] implies that she's got quite the patience.
* While most Toads from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' are portrayed as {{Lovable Coward}}s, Toadette is portrayed as, well, brave and optimistic. Even in ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'', the initial reason why she was captured by Wingo was that she wouldn't let go of the power star she and the Captain found. Even then, [[DamselOutOfDistress this is only temporary]].
* In ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2'' we have Charis. The little girl around seven or eight years of age right smack in the middle of a war, has to abandon her home, and witness destruction, atrocities, and quite a number of monsters. And she never gives up and never stops being cheerful. At Eburon Hamil is about to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge charge suicidally into the Imperial ranks]] for a [[TakingYouWithMe chance to take]] [[YouKilledMyFather Izebel]] [[TakingYouWithMe with him]], before Tart points out to him Charis is going to follow him on his suicide charge, all cheerful and smiles. He stops himself to not get her killed.
* Clementine from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadTelltale'' starts off as one, as scared of her situation as a child would be but maintaining a mostly optimistic attitude. On top of just coloring pictures, she contributes to the group every now and then, finding the boat in the shed and possibly putting in her two cents on whether they should let Ben stay or not. Overall, she does fairly well for a child in the apocalypse. As things become more and more dire, however, her optimism runs out to the point until [[BreakTheCutie she's effectively jaded]].
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%%* The title character of Hugh Howey's YoungAdult SpaceOpera ''Molly Fyde'' series.

* Ninevah "Nin" Redstone from ''Seven Sorcerers'' by Caro King. Her Motto is "Have Courage and never give up!" She confronts a Bogeyman while armed only with a toothbrush and goes to insane lengths to rescue her brother, along with [[ChronicHeroSyndrome everybody else needing help]].

** Chun Li. Oh my, Chun Li. The first ActionGirl in fighting game history simply can't be less. Followed by Cammy White, "Rainbow" Mika Nanakawa, Sakura Kasugano, Karin Kanzuki, Elena, Ibuki, Maki Genryusai, Makoto, Rose, Ingrid...
** In regards to non-fighting female charas, Yun's HotBlooded "non-girlfriend" Houmei is this; considering how calm she is when around her, her little sister Shaomei might count too. Eliza Masters can be considered to be an OlderAndWiser version: she's not seen a lot but when she does appear she's almost always smiling and patient, and the mere fact that she's HappilyMarried to [[LovedINotHonorMore a dude who's very often fighting out there]] implies that she's got quite the patience.

* Sansa Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', who manages to stay cool even when life seems more and more persistent to break her. Her sister Arya too, though this becomes less appealing and more creepy as the story goes on though, as the goals Arya persists in achieving pretty much amount to mass murder.

* Casca from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' zigged in and out of this trope. She was first like this when Guts patronized her for being a weak female when she fell ill during her period, but she never let him get to her. After Guts returned after a year's absence when everything came crashing down for the Hawks, Casca had an emotional breakdown and nearly committed suicide, [[InterruptedSuicide but Guts saved her]] and [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre gave her some emotional strength]] [[spoiler: [[LoveEpiphany while admitting their love to each other]]]]. After that, Casca more or less [[ToughLeaderFacade resumed her role as the strong female acting-leader of the Hawks]], and even managed to keep her cool in the wake of a bad situation when [[spoiler: the Eclipse began, and the Hawks were warped to another dimension]]. [[FromBadToWorse And then that bad situation turned worse.]] [[BreakTheCutie Casca did not come]] [[RapeLeadsToInsanity out very well]] - [[GoMadFromTheRevelation AT]] [[DrivenToMadness ALL.]]

** Anna from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''. The traits that define her are her sheer optimism and energy. Similar fo the above-mentioned Rapunzel, in [[WhatCouldHaveBeen earlier versions of the film]] Anna apparently lacked much of this. In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM9palXgpC4 full version]] of the "That's no blizzard -- that's my sister!" MissingTrailerScene (which dates back to when Elsa was still the BigBad), she showed fears about jumping off a mountain, and in the CutSong "More Than Just A Spare", she has more self-confidence issues than in the final product.

* Meilin Lee from ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' is optimistic about what she can do to make the world a better place and determined to do her part in realizing that goal. After the TraumaCongaLine she endures in the first act, you wouldn't be surprised if she broke down - and in fact she does, for a while. But with the support of her friends she comes back strong. It quickly becomes clear that Mei always sees the best side of things, and she won't let ''anything'' stop her from achieving her goal-of-the-moment, whether it's getting top grades, entertaining the temple visitors, [[spoiler: getting home to hide her red panda form, getting to the 4*Town Concert, or even fighting her mother's towering kaiju-panda form]].

* Annabelle Lennox in the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/BlackCrayons''. She's sweet and friendly, but she can be as brave and stubborn as her parents (or Ironhide) when she needs to. [[spoiler:She sneaks her way into a ''warzone'' because she thought she needed to be there. Keep in mind that she's ''six years old'' at the time.]]

* ''Fanfic/OnceUponAStudioVersionTwoPointOh'': Cinderella and Rapunzel both this fit trope perfectly, as Cinderella is determined to turn the situation around following Goofy's failed first attempt. On the way downstairs, she quickly gives Rapunzel [[ThatRemindsMeOfASong an idea to lift everyone's spirits]]. Both Fairy Godmother and Rapunzel take the initiative, as the former conjures a guitar for Rapunzel, while Raps herself begins playing a new rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star".

* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': Discussed as Lynn's major motive - in spite of her mother's death and her father's family hating her for being a person of colour, she strives to be a ProperLady no matter what.

* Arya Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. This becomes less appealing and more creepy as the story goes on though, as the goals Arya persists in achieving pretty much amount to mass murder. Her sister Sansa, too, who manages to stay cool even when life seems more and more persistent to break her.

* Fanfic/OnceUponAStudioVersionTwoPointOh: Cinderella and Rapunzel both this fit trope perfectly, as Cinderella is determined to turn the situation around following Goofy's failed first attempt. On the way downstairs, she quickly gives Rapunzel [[ThatRemindsMeOfASong an idea to lift everyone's spirits]]. Both Fairy Godmother and Rapunzel take the initiative, as the former conjures a guitar for Rapunzel, while Raps herself begins playing a new rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star".

* From ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Lily Potter ([[MamaBear standing between the Dark Lord and her baby without a second thought]]), [[HeroesWantRedHeads Ginny Weasley]] (CuteWitch who does what she can to help Harry and Co.), [[InsufferableGenius Hermione Granger]] (member of the Golden Trio and MagicalGirlWarrior extraordinaire), and [[CloudCuckoolander Luna Lovegood]] - though it's hard to say with her what is indomitable pluck and what is sheer CloudCuckooLand training.

** [[Characters/XMen90sMembers Jubilee]]. From about middle school age on life has constantly tried to crap all over her but not the murder of her parents, homelessness, being separated from her surrogate father figure, being captured and tortured by anti-mutant government initiatives, having the boy you have a crush on blown up, being crucified, losing her powers, or being turned into a vampire will stop her from forging ahead and realizing that life's what you make of it, so why not make it fun. [[spoiler: Though she gets cured of the vampirism part later.]]

** [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]] of all X-Ladies becomes this in later comics, having thrown away well-justified stoicism and depression of her earlier comic years, she’s extremely upbeat to point of being TheCape. She remains strong even in face of [[spoiler: her “[[OppositeSexClone father]]” Wolverine dying ([[DeathIsCheap he gets better]]) telling Storm the last thing he’d want is for her break down over his death]].

* Clementine in ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'' starts off as one, as scared of her situation as a child would be but maintaining a mostly optimistic attitude. On top of just coloring pictures, she contributes to the group every now and then, finding the boat in the shed and possibly putting in her two cents on whether they should let Ben stay or not. Overall, she does fairly well for a child in the apocalypse. As things become more and more dire, however, her optimism runs out to the point until [[BreakTheCutie she's effectively jaded]].

* ''Anime/HelloSandybell'': Sandybell Christie. She always stands up to the stuck up Kitty's bullying, and despite having barely any leads, she tries her best to find her biological mother....[[spoiler:even if she's on the other side of the continent in Lefkdas, Greece]].

* ''Anime/LucyMayOfTheSouthernRainbow'': Lucy-May is this constistently. Arthur says she can't have a dingo unless it's trained? She domesticates it. She can't speak to Hercules because of the LanguageBarrier? She speaks to him non-verbally. No matter what problem she faces, Lucy-May always tries to solve it.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [=LaToya=] Jackson. She was in an abusive relationship for a decade and then suffered the loss of [[Music/MichaelJackson her brother]]. Yet when you watch her in interviews, she's the happiest she has ever been.
* Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani Human Rights Activist. She became famous after being shot in retaliation for advocating education for girls, but survived and continued speaking out. After the attempt on her life, she was forced to leave Pakistan in order to continue her work internationally. In spite of facing criticism, threats, and opposition to her advocacy, she has continued to speak out in favor of peace, compassion, and answered her critics with kindness.
* US Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug. In the Atlanta UsefulNotes/OlympicGames she gave the performance of her life, anchoring team USA -- forever after nicknamed "The Magnificent Seven" -- to its first-ever team gold medal. But the Americans' last rotation, vault, was a disaster. No gymnast -- not even the fabled Shannon Miller -- had managed to "stick the landing", and every step was another chip in their lead. Then disaster struck -- Dominique Moceanu sat down her vault. Twice. Last to go, everything rested on Kerri -- who sat down ''her'' first vault, severely spraining her ankle in an injury that normally renders someone unable to walk. But not Kerri, who stood up, shook it off, limped back to the start of the runway, and vaulted again. This time, she stuck it -- ''on one foot'' -- and ensured that team USA would indeed win gold. Then she crumpled to the mat in agony, and had to be [[BridalCarry carried by her coach]] to the podium so she could stand with the rest of her team.
* Aliya Mustafina, the greatest Russian gymnast since Svetlana Khorkina, was on top of the world in 2010, winning all-around gold and qualifying into every single event final at the World Championships. She was expected to dominate the next two years and be a major threat to the all-around podium in London. But at the 2011 European Championships, Mustafina tore her ACL on a vault, instantly ending her season. In gymnastics, an ACL tear is almost always a career-ender, and many people wrote her off. But Aliya didn't write ''herself'' off, and a year later she came out of the London Games as the most decorated gymnast there -- including a bronze in the all-around and Russia's only gold medal -- and first in three Olympics -- on the uneven bars. Never again shall Aliya Mustafina be counted out of ''anything''.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haru_Urara Haru Urara]], a Japanese mare that became a national symbol of courage and optimism during the final years of the Lost Decade. After a decade of economic stagnation, people in Japan related to the story of a plucky racehorse that always tried her hardest, but never won a single race. She was nicknamed the "Shining Star of Losers Everywhere" and cited by people as an inspiration to keep trying no matter how many times they failed. Because of her popularity, the failing racetrack where she ran was saved and continues to operate to the present day.
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