History Main / StrongGirlSmartGuy

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': Played with. At first sight, ActionGirl police officer Debra and Forensics Expert Dexter fall into this. However, even if the other characters aren't aware of it, Dexter is actually quite strong and [[BadassBookworm can handle himself in a fight]] (he's also skilled in jiu jitsu).

* ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'': Judy Hopps is not an imposing figure, not by a long shot, but she graduated valedictorian from Zootopia's police academy and can use her speed and agility to take down opponents ten times her size. Nick Wilde, on the other hand, is a shifty ConArtist who knows the titular city and its citizens like the back of his hand and can talk his way out of almost any situation.

** Resident BadAss Melinda May and her psychiatrist [[NewOldFlame ex-husband]] Andrew. She was the muscle on the original Team Coulson and had earned the nickname "Cavalry" long before then. He was one of SHIELD's staff psychiatrists, and specialized in helping cope with the supernatural.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Alien {{Berserker}} Starfire, who hails from a planet of {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily adopted son of Batman]] ComicBook/{{Robin}}, who learned to fight crime from the world's greatest detective.

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Virtually everyone loves {{Badass}} female characters. Whether they are an AmazonianBeauty, a LadyOfWar, a GlacierWaif, or a KickChick, it's immense fun watching an ActionGirl at work. However, she can't be good at everything, as that would be end up [[MarySue rather boring]].

* Creator/LindseyDavis uses this trope in her crime novels of AncientRome. The primary pairing is strong-minded aristocrat Helena Justina, who finds her smart guy in streetwise private investigator Marcus Didius Falco. A sub-plot involves the romance between Falco's clever but socially disadvantaged sister, Maia Favonia, who shucks off a deadbeat husband to take up with tough street cop Lucius Petronius. The third significant pairing, in later books, concerns Falco's spiky private investigator daughter, Albia, and her on-off almost-romance with magistrate Tiberius Faustus ( a rare incorrupt lawman).

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' has [[CuteMonsterGirl Celty Sturluson]] and [[NightmareFetishist Shinra Kishitani]]. Celty is a BadassBiker with SuperStrength while Shinra is a BackAlleyDoctor and NonActionGuy.
* ActionGirl Hungary and PrincelyYoungMan Austria from ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia''.
* To everyone's surprise, Ciel Phantomhive and [[spoiler:Elizabeth Middleford]] from ''Manga/BlackButler''--the latter having turned out to have ImplausibleFencingPowers while the former was always known to have been TheChessmaster.

* ''Film/TheHungerGames'' feature this dynamic with Katniss, the physically powerful and talented archer, and Peeta - the SocialExpert (while he is quite strong, he isn't very skilled in battle).

* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' has Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, mentioned under film.

* ''Film/TheHungerGames" feature this dynamic with Katniss, the physically powerful and talentd archer, and Peeta - the SocialExpert (while he is quite strong, he isn't very skilled in battle).

* To everyone's surprise, Ciel Phantomhive and [[spoiler:Elizabeth Middleford]] from ''Manga/BlackButler''--the latter having turned out to have ImprobableFencingSkills while the former was always known to have been TheChssmaster.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': Going from rivals in the first movie to best friends and confidantes in the second, Po and Tigress fit this trope. She is the leader of the Furious Five and the fiercest fighter in the Valley of Peace. He is an AscendedFanboy with an encyclopedic knowledge of kung fu history and trivia, along with the ability to learn new techniques incredibly quickly (at least when properly motivated.)
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Minions}}'': Supervillainess Scarlet Overkill is proficient in WaifFu, can take on dozens of foes at once, and has a penchant for [[HammerSpace armored dresses armed with missiles]]. Her husband, the [[EvilGenius evil, but chill, Herb]] is a prolific inventor, makes all of Scarlet's gear and seems to find her megalomania incredibly attractive.

* ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'': Judy Hopps is not an imposing figure, not by a long shot, but she graduated valedictorian from Zootopia's police academy and can use her speed and agility to take down opponents ten times her size. Nick Wilde, on the other hand, is a shifty con-artist who knows the titular city and its citizens like the back of his hand and can talk his way out of almost any situation.

* ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'': The titular KidDetective got his nickname because of his EncyclopedicKnowledge. His best friend, Sally Kimball is a CuteBruiser who acts as his bodyguard and frequently beats up male bullies.
* Creator/LindseyDavis uses this trope in her crime novels of ancient Rome. The primary pairing is strong-minded aristocrat Helena Justina, who finds her smart guy in streetwise private investigator Marcus Didius Falco. A sub-plot involves the romance between Falco's clever but socially disadvantaged sister, Maia Favonia, who shucks off a deadbeat husband to take up with tough street cop Lucius Petronius. The third significant pairing, in later books, concerns Falco's spiky private investigator daughter, Albia, and her on-off almost-romance with magistrate Tiberius Faustus ( a rare incorrupt lawman).

** Peggy's eventual love interest in Season 1, Agent Daniel Sousa, did fight in WWII, but was injured severely. He needs a crutch to get around and walks with a pronounced limp. Despite that, he uses his injury to catch opponents off-guard and was even able to outsmart [[CompellingVoice Dr. Faustus]].

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'' seems to really love this trope.

** Bobby Morse, a.k.a. [[ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames Mockingbird]], and her [[NewOldFlame ex-husband]] Hunter. Bobby almost matches May in hand-to-hand combat, and her batons let her hit extra hard. Hunter, while no slouch in a fire fight, would rather [[TheFace talk his way out]] of a sticky situation, and his ties to the criminal underworld are immensely valuable to SHIELD.
** PlayedWith by Daisy Johnson and Lincoln. Both are smart and both are strong. [[ShockAndAwe Lightning-powered]] Lincoln was one of the Inhuman's best guidance counselors who helped Inhumans adjust to their transitions. Daisy's shockwave powers allow her to level a city block with little effort; however, she was [[BoxedCrook conscripted]] into SHIELD long before she experienced [[{{Metamorphosis}} Terragenisis]], as her skills as a hacker had caught their eye.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Alien {{Berserker}} Starfire, who hails from a planet of {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily adopted son of Batman]] Robin, who learned to fight crime from the world's greatest detective.

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'' has a villainous example. Dr. Tomoe is reputable science authority in his civil form, but in secret he is a mad scientist that uses FantasticScience to summon an evil [[CosmicHorror inter dimensional god]]. Said god possessed his daughter Hotaru, who became insanely powerful but doesn't truly rely on logic.

* ''DCComics''

* Main/LindseyDavis uses this trope in her crime novels of ancient Rome. The primary pairing is strong-minded aristocrat Helena Justina, who finds her smart guy in streetwise private investigator Marcus Didius Falco. A sub-plot involves the romance between Falco's clever but socially disadvantaged sister, Maia Favonia, who shucks off a deadbeat husband to take up with tough street cop Lucius Petronius. The third significant pairing, in later books, concerns Falco's spiky private investigator daughter, Albia, and her on-off almost-romance with magistrate Tiberius Faustus ( a rare incorrupt lawman).

* ''Series/AgentCarter'': The titular Agent Peggy Carter has no qualms over solving a problem with GoodOldFisticuffs, and Howard Stark provides her with intel and gadgetry, every bit the inventor [[IronMan his son]] would become.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', the ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, an ActionGirl, and ComicBook/TheQuestion, an [[ConspiracyTheorist apopheniac sleuth]], team up regularly to take down the bad guys, before ending up romantically involved with each other, as well.

* Shikamaru and Temari of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' are close friends with each other [[spoiler:and they eventually end up as husband and wife]]. The former has an IQ of 200 and fights with deep tactics, utilizing his ShadowPin technique to take control of his opponent's body, and his techniques are used more for submission or incapacitation rather than doing heavy damage. The latter is a girl of strong personality and fights by blowing massive cutting winds at her opponents to overwhelm them.
* Nanoha and Yuuno had this dynamic during the second half of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. Later seasons would see Yuuno be DemotedToExtra as MrExposition.

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'' has a villainous example. Dr. Tomoe is reputable science authority in his civil form, but in secret he is a mad scientist that uses FantasticScience to summon an evil [[CosmicHorror inter dimensional god]]. Said god possessed his daughter Hotaru, who became insanely powerful but doesn't truly rely on logic.

* ''Disney/TreasurePlanet'': Captain Amelia and Doctor Doppler. She's a hardened war veteran with the scars to prove it. He's an awkward astronomer, frustrated with how little his intellect can actually help people.

* ''KungFuPanda'': Going from rivals in the first movie to best friends and confidantes in the second, Po and Tigress fit this trope. She is the leader of the Furious Five and the fiercest fighter in the Valley of Peace. He is an AscendedFanboy with an encyclopedic knowledge of kung fu history and trivia, along with the ability to learn new techniques incredibly quickly (at least when properly motivated.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCroods'' have Eek and Guy. She's a Neanderthal, with enough strength to wrestle creatures five times her size, while he is a Cro-Magnan, who knows how to make fire and always has a new idea to try out.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Ex-revolutionary Zoe and AcePilot Wash. She's a warrior who still makes her former CO, Mal, nervous. He's useless in a firefight, but can pull incredible stunts with ''Serenity''.

* ''AgentCarter'': The titular Agent Peggy Carter has no qualms over solving a problem with GoodOldFisticuffs, and Howard Stark provides her with intel and gadgetry, every bit the inventor [[IronMan his son]] would become.
** Peggy and Jarvis, as well. He is a decidedly NonActionGuy, but Peggy spends a lot more time around him, since Stark is hiding from the SSR, and Jarvis shows some skill as a pilot, forger, and people-person. It's worth nothing that Peggy and Jarvis' relationship is entirely platonic, as Jarvis is a HappilyMarried man.
** Peggy's eventual love interest in Season 1, Agent Daniel Sousa, did fight in WWII, but was injured severely. He needs a crutch to get around and walks with a pronounced limp. Despite that, he uses his injury to catch opponents off-guard and was even able to outsmart [[CompellingVoice Dr. Faustus]].
** Season 2 introduces Jason Wilkes, a black scientist trying to make it in 1950's California. He gets inadvertently roped into this season's conspiracy, and the sparks fly between him and Peggy.
** The {{Arc Villain}}s of Season 2 are Calvin Chadwick, a SleazyPolitician, and his wife, Whitney Frost, who has been infected with [[spoiler: an extradimensional substance called Zero Matter]].
** [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Dr. Samberly]] is a MadScientist working for the SSR, who is constantly hitting on [[HiddenBadass Rose Roberts]], who has been charged with manning the SSR's talent agency front, as well as guarding the secret entrance to the agency itself. She isn't very fond of him, though.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Princess Star Butterfly has lots of magic power at her disposal, while her [[BadassNormal human]] best friend Marco is a safety-obsessed NeatFreak who tries his best to teach her about Earth culture.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': BrotherSisterTeam Dipper and Mabel. Mabel's strength is rarely brought up, but she is a ''lot'' stronger than most girls her age. Dipper is obsessed with the titular town's mysteries and secrets.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Alien {{Berserker}} Starfire, who hails from a planet of {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily adopted son of Batman]] Robin, who learned to fight crime from the world's greatest detective.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': Metal-bending prodigy Kuvira, and EvilGenius Baatar Jr.

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': [[MadScientist Drakken]] and [[DarkActionGirl Shego]] are a villainous example: He invents plans to TakeOverTheWorld, she beats up people in their way. An unusual case in that Shego is ''far'' more intelligent than Drakken at everything except [[MadScientist inventing bizarre gadgets]] -- she simply prefers to [[BrilliantButLazy let somebody else do the planning]] while she does the fighting.

Virtually everyone loves {{Badass}} female characters. Whether they are an AmazonianBeauty, a LadyOfWar, or a GlacierWaif, it's immense fun watching ActionGirl at work. However, she can't be good at everything, as that would be end up [[MarySue rather boring]].

If a writer wants to give an ActionGirl a partner in asskicking or even a LoveInterest, but wants him to be more than just a SatelliteCharacter, he can be given a skill set that compliments her combat prowess, making him a [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]]. He needn't be a NonActionGuy, but he is defined far more by his intellect than his fighting abilities.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', the ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, an ActionGirl, and ComicBook/TheQuestion, an [[ConspiracyTheorist apopheniac sleuth]], team up regularly to take down the bad guys, before ending up romantically involved with each other, as well.

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* ''{{RWBY}}'': During Season 2, while investigating the White Fang, [[TheBerserker Yang]] and Neptune teamed up briefly, Neptune being a self-described "[[InsistentTerminology Intellecual]]".

May coincide with SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl; MasculineGirlFeminineBoy; or ActionGirlFriend.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Alien {{Berserker}} Starfire, who hails from a planet of ProudWarriorRaceGuy|s and [[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily adopted son of Batman]] Robin, who learned to fight crime from the world's greatest detective.

* ''Film/TheCroods'' have Eek and Guy. She's a Neanderthal, with enough strength to wrestle creatures five times her size, while he is a Cro-Magnan, who knows how to make fire and always has a new idea to try out.

* ''BlackLagoon'': The heroine Revy is a tough girl who scores with criminal organizations on daily basis, while her partner Rock is her group's negotiator who helps them communicate with "business partners" peacefully, and is an ace of psychological play and sweet-talking.

* Shikamaru and Temari of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' are close friends with each other. The former has an IQ of 200 and fights with deep tactics, utilizing his ShadowPin technique to take control of his opponent's body, and his techniques are used more for submission or incapacitation rather than doing heavy damage. The latter is a girl of strong personality and fights by blowing massive cutting winds at her opponents to overwhelm them.

Examples:

* ''DCComics'': Mister Miracle uses his genius intellect and various gadgets to become the world's greatest escape artist. His wife, Big Barda, is an AmazonianBeauty who was once the head of the Female Furies, an elite squad of female warriors.