History Main / WouldHitaGirl

** [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy Roy]] is perfectly willing to fight [[HornyDevils Sabine]]. When she tries to seduce him, saying that he can do "anything" he wants to her, the next panel shows her flying out a window.

* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}. ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. [[Characters/XMen80sMembers Shadowcat]] all up in his face. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/comments/4yue1m/deadpool_gives_kitty_a_shoryuken_for_the_ages/ Do the math.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/Hercules'', during Hercules' battle with the Hydra, the young hero struck the serpent's head with his sword. Though not clarified in the film, the Hydra is referred to as female according to the junior novelization.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin has no qualms about pelting Susie with snowballs or water balloons; one strip even had him dropping a snowball the size of a '''bowling ball''' right on top of her from a tree.

* A Sunday ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip has Lucy challenging Charlie Brown to fight -- she'd done it before, leaving him slinking away and humiliated, but this time he was so annoyed he gave her the smallest tap on the nose. She naturally runs off yelling that he'd hit a girl.

* ''ComicStrip/ScaryGary'': Despite the male-female “Killed by Leopold” ratio being almost [[ComedicSociopathy comically one sided towards the former]], he can get just as excited to [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender messily kill & devour ladies as he does the men.]]

* The characters in {{WebAnimation/RWBY}} live in a WorldOfBadass, meaning it would be a very poor decision to hold back when fighting any of the named huntresses. Every male villain that attacks Team RWBY can qualify as this, as can several of the heroes. Qrow's first fight is against a female opponent, that being Winter. Jaune actually attempts to decapitate Cinder during the Volume 5 finale. The best example, however, takes place in Volume 3, when Sun fights Octavia and he kicks her in the face and proceeds to beat her violently with his staff to knock her out, and that's just a sparring match.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' Frollo's soldiers have no problem attempting to subdue Esmerelda by force.

** ComicBook/{{Venom}}'s first confrontation with the Characters/{{Black Cat|Marvel}} was, to many, his EstablishingCharacterMoment as a villain; the brief fight ended with him slamming poor Felicia's face into a wall, breaking it and her nose in a blow that all of fandom must have felt; he didn't hesitate to remind her of that later, during the ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'' storyline. Future stories show he really doesn't care ''what'' gender an enemy is, gleefully slugging Shriek, ComicBook/GhostRider's foe Hag, and any female symbiotes that he encounters. (Of course, most of those characters had it coming.)

** In [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair the second game]], Akane repeatedly challenges Nekomaru to fights, resulting in Nekomaru sometimes injuring her. There isn't anything particularly malicious about it on either side, though, and they become close friends with a bit of ShipTease.

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If he's good, it's either because he's just not sexist and he believes in beating people up equally, or because he knows that holding back against female opponents is a good way to get his ass kicked or killed or endanger his friends/allies/muggles. In earlier works, the usual formula for invoking this was to say that he would "[[ExactWords never hit a lady]]" — but "you're no lady" after the woman in question attacked him first or otherwise showed herself to be of low character.[[note]]This line is exploiting the dual usage of "a lady" as slang for any woman, and as a term for a woman who displays a certain level of decorous behavior. By failing to behave as "a lady" would, she's forfeited her right to be treated as one.[[/note]] Either way he stops as soon as she's no longer a threat.

Naturally, modern female characters tend to go into battle fully expecting to be hit. If anything, many of them would probably be ''insulted'' if a male opponent went easy on them because of their sex. That said, an unprovoked attack on a girl, especially one who can't fight back, is still often played as a KickTheDog moment, [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale more so than if the genders were reversed]]. In milder works it is perfect as a MoralEventHorizon without the need for gore, torture, rape or death — it shows the villain will even hurt those who pose no threat.

* Huo Haha of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' very nearly hits a little girl (thus this overlaps with WouldHurtAChild) in Season 8 episode 18 when she asks him to get her kite down from a roof. Literally the only thing that cuts him short is that the girl grabs his MagicWand right before he can hit her with it and uses it to get her kite down.

** [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] found this out the hard way against Batman. Knowing that he was [[TheFettered reluctant to strike her]], Ivy dealt Batman a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until she had him pinned to the ground. She then urged him to kiss her - which, this being Poison Ivy we're talking about, [[KissOfDeath would be immediately fatal]] - and taunted that there was no use resisting, because "I know you don't want to hit a woman." Batman confessed that, yes, that was true - but [[DirtyBusiness it wasn't going to stop him]], and so he knocked Ivy unconscious with a single head-butt.

* Pretty much every male Franchise/WonderWoman villain - (especially the [[HeManWomanHater misogynistic ones]] - has no issue inflicting harm on women. Unfortunately for them, the titular heroine is fully capable of returning whatever abuse they inflict on her and innocent people ten-fold.

* A Sunday ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip has Lucy challenging Charlie Brown to fight - she'd done it before, leaving him slinking away and humiliated, but this time he was so annoyed he gave her the smallest tap on the nose. She naturally runs off yelling that he'd hit a girl.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10617769/8/Girls-und-Panzer-International-War-Games Girls und Panzer - International War Games]]'', after [[OriginalCharacter Edo]] bumps into Suzuki, and she tells him off, he punches her in the face, starting a fight. His superior officer, Kenji, is furious that Edo would attack a girl who also is Edo's [[SenpaiKohai senpai]], and removes Edo from the team.

* "Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants. Quoth John Flansburgh, " "The entire conceit of the song is that it’s about an extremely formal person, like the kind of person that would challenge someone to a duel — only that the twist is that they are challenging a lady to a duel, which breaks every code of behavior in the world of dueling."

* The ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' rulebook explicitly mentions that [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Rokugan]] has far less rigid gender roles as Japan- it's entirely acceptable for women to be bushi, fight on the front lines, duel for their honour and so on.

* The stage adaptation of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' called ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' features the abusive behavior of Bill Sikes toward his girlfriend, Nancy. Throughout the play, Nancy is a punching bag and the beatings grow progressively worse. In the end, Nancy tries to leave with Oliver, but Bill follows them and confronts them by London Bridge. Oliver tries to stop Bill from trying to grab Nancy, but is unsuccessful; Bill – in an unprecedented display of barbaric savagery – brutally clubs Nancy to death (in the original stage play; she has also been strangled, stabbed and/or had her throat slit). Bill takes Oliver hostage and uses the lad as a bargaining tool to ensure his freedom, but Bill is still caught and killed.

* ''WebVideo/CreamHeroes'': Momo punches Lala on a regular basis- usually because she punches him first.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TphCi4zH1sk This bus driver]] in {{UsefulNotes/Cleveland}} who ''uppercuts'' a rowdy 25-year old woman after she hits him in the face.

* A contestant on the Indian game show "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadagiri#Slapping_incident Dadagiri]]" slapped the hostess back after she'd slapped him, allegedly out of frustration that he wasn't rising to any of her verbal abuse (''verbal'' abuse was part of the show's rules - ''physical'' abuse wasn't). This resulted in a slew of men on-set going into WifeBasherBasher mode, pummeling him for invoking this trope.

[[quoteright:345:[[Franchise/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batman-punching-schoolgirl-1302650055_2837.jpg]]]]

->'''Erron Black:''' I grew up around tough women.
->'''Cassie Cage:''' Didn't they teach you respect?
->'''Erron Black:''' They taught me to hit back.

[[caption-width-right:345:[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold The hammer of justice is unisex.]]]]

* In ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' #27, while fighting [[Characters/DaredevilDaredevilAndSupportingCharacters Elektra]], ComicBook/LukeCage promptly gives her a swift kick [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/63938/1478465-kick.jpg courtesy of Daredevil.]]

** ComicBook/PoisonIvy found this out the hard way against Batman. Knowing that he was [[TheFettered reluctant to strike her]], Ivy dealt Batman a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until she had him pinned to the ground. She then urged him to kiss her - which, this being Poison Ivy we're talking about, [[KissOfDeath would be immediately fatal]] - and taunted that there was no use resisting, because "I know you don't want to hit a woman." Batman confessed that, yes, that was true - but [[DirtyBusiness it wasn't going to stop him]], and so he knocked Ivy unconscious with a single head-butt.

* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}. ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. [[ComicBook/KittyPryde Shadowcat]] all up in his face. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/comments/4yue1m/deadpool_gives_kitty_a_shoryuken_for_the_ages/ Do the math.]]

* The ComicBook/IncredibleHulk has no qualms with your gender at all. If you've wronged him or pissed him off, you are to be smashed. Hence, Moonstone, Vapor, Mercy and Animus are treated accordingly.
* To the shock of no-one, Batman's nemesis ComicBook/TheJoker inflicts frequent horrors upon men and women alike.

* ComicBook/TheMightyThor may be a god, but he does not treat kindly females that have gone against him, lovers or not, as ComicBook/{{Hela}} and ComicBook/TheEnchantress have found out.

* In ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' #27, while fighting ComicBook/{{Elektra}}, ComicBook/LukeCage promptly gives her a swift kick [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/63938/1478465-kick.jpg courtesy of Daredevil.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'': Tim Drake is accused of going easy on girls by a thief who reminds him of Stephanie after Stephanie's "{{death|IsCheap}}" who he ''was'' going easy on. In general though he has no problem or hesitation fighting women, which is a good thing considering women make up a large percentage of his rogues gallery.

** ComicBook/{{Venom}}'s first confrontation with the ComicBook/BlackCat was, to many, his EstablishingCharacterMoment as a villain; the brief fight ended with him slamming poor Felicia's face into a wall, breaking it and her nose in a blow that all of fandom must have felt; he didn't hesitate to remind her of that later, during the ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'' storyline. Future stories show he really doesn't care ''what'' gender an enemy is, gleefully slugging Shriek, ComicBook/GhostRider's foe Hag, and any female symbiotes that he encounters. (Of course, most of those characters had it coming.)

** ComicBook/LexLuthor -claims he- dislikes hitting women but he is ''not'' above it. In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story arc ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Girl Power]]'', Luthor goes on about hating to hit women as he's laying a [[https://i.imgur.com/6ziPjcR.jpg beat-down]] on Supergirl:

* One of ComicBook/{{X 23}}'s main abusers at the Facility was Zander Rice, who had no compunctions against ''ripping out her claws without anesthesia'' to coat them in adamantium, while the man who kidnapped her cousin Megan was a serial killer who intended to make both girls his victims. In a twist on this, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} ''tried'' not to fight her in their first encounter, but ultimately gave in when he realized she wouldn't give him any choice and that it was the only way to get through to her. His hesitation also had nothing to do with her being a girl, but the fact he was ''trying'' to help her, and recognized she was a victim of the things that had been done to her and not an enemy. Comicbook/CaptainAmerica's ''first'' response when he cornered her and she tried to run was to smack her with his shield. ComicBook/{{Daken}} didn't hesitate to attack her in their first encounter, and Sinister had no reservations against snapping her neck. [[Comicbook/{{NYX}} Her ex-pimp, Zebra Daddy]], roughed her up early in the series, and later guns her down ([[GoodThingYouCanHeal fortunately she could heal from it]]).

* One early ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' strip featured Garfield inviting a female cat over for dinner after he falls in love with her. She then starts eating from his bowl. This makes him angry and he punches her [[MegatonPunch sending her flying sky high]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Sire}}'': Emile, descendant of the famous InspectorJavert does not hesitate to [[http://sire.smackjeeves.com/comics/733997/chapter-2-page-26/ slam a teenage woman in the stomach.]]

* In ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' during ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]] vs [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]]'' after the former smacks a chair at the latter, Bayo chides Dante saying "You're a naughty boy, hitting a girl like that". Considering she just spend the previous few minutes trying to kill him, including kicking him into a IronMaiden (which would've certainly killed him if he was normal dude), her remark comes off as completely ludicrous. By the end of the fight Dante does more than just hit Bayonetta, [[spoiler: he riddles her with blades from his weapon Lucifer and explodes her into LudicrousGibs.]]

* In ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' #27, while fighting ComicBook/{{Elektra}}, ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}} promptly gives her a swift kick [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/63938/1478465-kick.jpg courtesy of Daredevil.]]

* ''Franchise/{Batman}}'':

* Depending on the writer Franchise/{{Batman}} may show varying degrees of reluctance or distaste for fighting female villains. However if they care to test him on this matter, they soon find he'll still take them down regardless. That said some portrayals of the Dark Knight show him making zero distinction between male and female criminals.

* Creator/JohnByrne also used a version of this exchange in his story in the anthology comic ''ComicBook/BatmanBlackAndWhite'': a gangster's moll asks Batman "You wouldn't hit a lady, would you?" and Batman replies that of course he wouldn't, but he doesn't see any ladies here, and knocks her cold.

** In ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'' by Creator/JohnByrne, a female terrorist tries the "You wouldn't hit a lady, would you?" line on Franchise/{{Superman}}. He [[SuperStrength knocks her out]] [[FingerPokeOfDoom with a flick of his finger]], saying something like "No, but then again no lady I know would carry C4 in her purse."

* One of Comicbook/{{X 23}}'s main abusers at the Facility was Zander Rice, who had no compunctions against ''ripping out her claws without anesthesia'' to coat them in adamantium, while the man who kidnapped her cousin Megan was a serial killer who intended to make both girls his victims. In a twist on this, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} ''tried'' not to fight her in their first encounter, but ultimately gave in when he realized she wouldn't give him any choice and that it was the only way to get through to her. His hesitation also had nothing to do with her being a girl, but the fact he was ''trying'' to help her, and recognized she was a victim of the things that had been done to her and not an enemy. Comicbook/CaptainAmerica's ''first'' response when he cornered her and she tried to run was to smack her with his shield. ComicBook/{{Daken}} didn't hesitate to attack her in their first encounter, and Sinister had no reservations against snapping her neck. [[Comicbook/{{NYX}} Her ex-pimp, Zebra Daddy]], roughed her up early in the series, and later guns her down ([[GoodThingYouCanHeal fortunately she could heal from it]]).

* [[HairRaisingHare Bun-bun]] from ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' has no problem with ''anything'' evil.

* Bun-bun from ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' has no problem with ''anything'' evil. His first encounter with [[ButtMonkey Zoë]]:
--> '''Zoë''': Now I am stuck, no friends, no car, no way home. [[TemptingFate Ah, I guess things would be worse...]] Aw, what a cute bunny!
--> '''Bun-bun''': You are in my spot, toots. I'm going to have to hurt you on principle.
--> ''(switchblade:)'' ka-click!