Line #20 Main/CuteBruiser


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1295075914037699000
2	%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%%
4	[[quoteright:300:[[Literature/OkamiSan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_oo_6985.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:300:She'll leave you [[{{Pun}} cat-atonic]] (even if she's supposed to be the big bad wolf).]]
6
7	->'''Atrocitus:''' You appear feeble.\
8	'''Supergirl:''' I punch above my weight.
9	-->-- ''VideoGame/Injustice2''
10
11
12	Like the OldMaster, the Cute Bruiser is a living, breathing, and frequently painful lesson in never judging a book by its cover.
13
14	She appears to be a kid, but in battle she fights like a bruiser. Bruisers tend to melee combat focused on punches and blocks. Traditional bruisers are large husky men who win fights due to their size and strength allowing them to both absorb and put out heavy damage. This contrast between appearance and combat style is what makes the character surprising.
15
16	The Cute Bruiser's WeaponSpecialization will probably be GoodOldFisticuffs, a [[CarryABigStick club, a hammer]], or [[IKnowKarate martial arts]] that focus on direct blows to your opponent instead of pressure points or judo throws. They'll only rarely be using a bladed weapon (unless it's a {{BFS}} of some variety) or depending on projectile weapons, with the exception of [[ImprovisedWeapon throwing]] [[RockBeatsLaser heavy]] [[CarFu objects]]. When confronted with a locked door, her likely solution is to just smash it open. In short, she deals out the blunt trauma very well.
17
18	The Cute Bruiser also has some tanking abilities. She is not a GlassCannon who [[FragileSpeedster depends on dodging]]. (Dodging is acceptable behavior, but a Cute Bruiser can take a blow if needed, and so doesn't depend on it.) At the end of a fight, expect her to be covered in bruises and scratches, but still with a smile on her face (assuming the fight was won). She might even be [[DishingOutDirt Rock steady]], hitting like a MightyGlacier, and standing like a StoneWall. Might have SuperStrength as justification.
19
20	She is usually TheBigGuy in a FiveManBand, a common subversion of the usual traits associated with that character type. Personality-wise, she can vary quite a bit. She might be a BoisterousBruiser, she could share some traits with a LittleMissSnarker, or she may just stick with the apparent contradiction of an innocent CheerfulChild who can mix it up in a bar fight. If she is affiliated with a powerful villain, expect to see just how someone with her appearance got to that position.
21
22	Almost always a PintSizedPowerhouse. Possibly a SuperStrongChild, in which case she may be a GlacierWaif. When she works out enough, she can evolve into an AmazonianBeauty; a Cute Bruiser typically has toned muscles, but her muscles are always on the leaner side. If she retains her cute looks well into adulthood, even after she becomes a mother, she becomes an ActionMom. When past the age of cuteness she usually disappears as a character before re-emerging in old age as a case of NeverMessWithGranny. If she deliberately plays up the "cute" aspect to get people to drop their guard, this can overlap with TheFakeCutie. Despite what this entry may suggest, this is not an AlwaysFemale trope; a young boy who can punch far above his weight would also qualify.
23
24	SuperTrope to GirlyBruiser. Overlaps with BadassAdorable, LittleMissBadass, and SmallGirlBigGun (when firearms are present).
25
26	Compare ChildMage and WaifFu, which have a similar contrast between appearance and combat effectiveness, but using a different combat style. Contrast with the LadyOfWar, who is elegant in combat. Also compare KickingAssInAllHerFinery when the Cute Bruiser is not only kicking ass, but doing so in her most opulent clothing.
27
28	----
29	!!Example subpages:
30
31	[[index]]
32	* CuteBruiser/AnimeAndManga
33	* CuteBruiser/ComicBooks
34	* CuteBruiser/LiveActionTV
35	* CuteBruiser/VideoGames
36	* {{CuteBruiser/Webcomics}}
37	* CuteBruiser/WesternAnimation
38	* CuteBruiser/RealLife
39	[[/index]]
40
41	!!Other examples:
42
43	[[foldercontrol]]
44
45	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
46	* Happy S. of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' is the leader of a group of RidiculouslyHumanRobots who are all pretty adorable and has SuperStrength powers that he [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength sometimes underestimates]]. Needless to say, he packs quite a wallop when he fights monsters.
47	* Kung-Fu Girl (Tee Yang's alter-ego) from ''Animation/KungFuWa'' wears a mini-dress, has pink skin and flowing pink hair and is incredibly good at beating the crud out of enemies with SuperNaturalMartialArts.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Card Games]]
51	* In TarotMotifs, Strength is often depicted as a young girl holding up a beast.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Comic Books]]
55	* Gordon in ''Media/XsOmnibus'' counts as one. He's seen as a very cute and squishy cat but those muscles are NOT ones you want to mess with.
56
57	[[folder:Fan Works]]
58	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Diana, who is a PrettyPrincessPowerhouse - small enough at 12 (prior to a growth spurt) to be snuggled teddy-bear style by the admittedly very tall Carol, quite petite, and lady-like... and also a young ComicBook/WonderWoman and adept practitioner of ''[[WrestlerInAllOfUs Pankration]]'', who takes out one of the Mabdhara in one blow at the Battle of London. For context, it previously took [[ColonyDrop an orbital strike from targeted space-junk]], being rammed by [[Film/BatmanBegins the Tumbler]] at about 1/3 the speed of sound and then hit with its demolition charges, and finally, having the main Chicago power-line channelled into its innards by Harry Dresden to take one out, that's pretty impressive - especially since this one is implied to be more powerful.
59	* Hanala Jarva of the {{Fanfic/Uplifted}} series certainly qualifies. She is small, pretty and inexperienced. Yet she will not hesitate to kill anything that harms [[TrueCompanions her crew,]] or her later lover [[LoveInterest Joachim Hoch.]] It's telling when a disenchanted Waffen SS Officer is the least violent member of the couple.
60	* ''Fanfic/TheGunslingerHeroFlintlock'': Ochako has started to turn into this, when during the USJ, she was given a shotgun with capture rounds that she used to great effect, even hitting someone with it as a literal bat. She really turns into one during the Sports Festival’s second event, Ochako takes an extreme liking to one of the opponents’ weapons, based on an Electrohammer from Franchise/StarWars. She uses the weapon to great effect after stealing it from that opponent.
61	* In "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/25601596/ Honey and Magic]]", [[Literature/{{Matilda}} Matilda Honey]] is basically this to the rest of [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]] once she demonstrates her existing magical skill. Despite the fact that she was using what should have been accidental magic, her friends comment that she's showing a level of power and skill they'd expect to see from Dumbledore rather than from someone who's only just officially learnt about magic.
62	* Paul of ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' always was known as the [[Music/TheBeatles Cute Beatle]]. He doesn't look particularly strong either, having lost some weight during his “depression era.” But given that he once lifted an estimated 90 tons of solid rock statue....
63	** He's not much of a bruiser, since [[ActualPacifist he won't actually hit anything that's alive]].
64	*** Though he came close once.
65	* [[AllThereInTheManual In the]] ExpandedUniverse of ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'', one of the late Supers, Stratogale, was specified as having the powers of {{Flight}}, SuperStrength, [[AnimalTalk and the ability to speak to birds.]] ''Fanfic/RiseOfTheGaleforces'' fleshes her out through a lot of CharacterDevelopment, under the fanmade name of Sarah Squall, and gives her a role as one of the main characters of the fic. Essentially, she is [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl the Tomboy to Violet's Girly Girl,]] being outgoing and straightforward as opposed to introspective and idealistic the way Vi is. To get a good idea of how awesome she is, her EstablishingCharacterMoment in the first chapter involves her tying [=GLaDOS=]'s cables into a knot.
66	* ''Fanfic/MyHeroSchoolAdventureIsAllWrongAsExpected'': Komachi's Quirk, Homomorphic Chimerization, allows her cells to copy any enhancements made to a person's body by their Quirk as long as it doesn't change her basic body shape. By the time the story has started, she's copied so many her bones are like titanium and her skin is as tough as Kevlar. To paraphrase Hachiman, she's a "T-Rex squeezed into the body of a little girl". However, she has no control over the process, so she suffered many cases of SensoryOverload throughout her childhood as her sight and hearing and even tastebuds suddenly changed from day to day.
67	* The development of Creator/TerryPratchett's female Assassins, who in the canon are nothing much more than names, descriptions and cameo appearances. In [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5318396/1/Nature_Studies Nature Studies]], regard the slight, freckled and girlish Johanna Smith-Rhodes, who has [[Fanfic/NatureStudies a winning way with animals]]. To wit, the sort of venomous and generally dangerous fauna that would get her fan-mail from Steve Irwin. She also has a direct way of dealing with obstructive Palace Guards blocking her way to Vetinari. She teaches Natural Sciences, Zoology and Animal Management to student Assassins and has the capacity to organise some ''really'' interesting nature trails for her pupils, in which they learn that Nature is a thing to have wonder and respect for.
68	* Elsewhere, the characters of Assassins Miss Alice Band, Jocasta Wiggs, and Madame Deux-Epées are similarly expanded upon in the works of [[Creator/AAPessimal A.A. Pessimal]].
69	** Not one but ''two'' Cute Bruisers graduate from the Assassins' School and go on an [[RoadTripPlot extended backpacking holiday]] [[Fanfic/GapYearAdventures in Klatch and Howondaland]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12321109/1/Gap-Year-Adventures Gap Year Adventures]]''. Parts of the continent are still recovering.
70	* [[GenkiGirl Mariko]] [[BadassAdorable Aratani]] from the Lucky Star fanfics ''Fanfic/HolidayVacation'' and ''Fanfic/LuckyStarAfterStory'' is a dead ringer for this. For instance, in Chapter 25 of After Story, she stood up to a robber using only her fists.
71	* [[Fanfic/DeliverUsFromEvilSeries Mortality]] [[TheBigGuy Watson]] definitely. You can picture Creator/MartinFreeman, and, like his BBC counterpart , he ''will not'' [[ActualPacifist hesitate]] to [[GoodIsNotSoft KILL]] (or [[DeadlyDoctor torture]]) a criminal if [[BerserkButton Holmes's life is on the line.]]
72	* [[GirlyBruiser Chloe]] [[BadassAdorable Cerise]] of ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' is a ten-year-old girl armed with a pipe and she knows how to use it, mostly to knock someone across the head with it, whether it be the Erlking, Temple Guards or the abomination known as Delirium.
73	* The VideoGame/KanColle / Franchise/{{Halo}} crossover ''Fanfic/ForEarthAndHerColonies'' has its main character UNSC Harvest, despite the actual vessel being twice as long as an Iowa-class battleship and with an overall armor scheme thicker than the front face of Yamato's main battery turrets. However, because shipgirls themselves are spiritual constructs, and Harvest considers herself a ''frigate'', the result is a girl no taller than a normal destroyer who can take on the Biggest Bads of the setting with ease.
74	* ''Fanfic/MomentaryWeakness'': Milly, eldest of the royal children, inherited Mythra's personality, an Aegis constitution, and Rex's dedication to training. She is therefore far more skilled at ten years old than most of the soldiers at the palace, and proves it when she decides to take over their training for the day.
75	-->"He..." The guard gasped, trying to get his breath. "He puts his own daughter through ''that?!''" Water skins were being passed around the training grounds after she let them take a break, though she was still hopping about checking in on the soldiers.\
76	"Like I... like I said. Paragon's daughter. Daughter of an... phew, an Aegis... they're not like us." His colleague had taken her helmet off, mopping her dark hair back.\
77	"At... at least the drill is over..." He took some relief in that, watching as that blonde demon passed out little bowls of dried fruit and mixed nuts for them to snack on.\
78	"[[FromBadToWorse She'll be sparring with us next]]."
79	* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'' gives us [[spoiler:Conis from Skypiea]], who manages to acquire SuperStrength due to oxygen saturation (since she used to live at a much higher altitude). While she can duke it out in close combat when needed, she's actually a gunner, so she puts the strength to a different use: [[WalkingArmory leisurely carrying enough guns to lay waste to an entire island.]]
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
83	* Maruti in ''Animation/TheReturnOfHanuman'' is a little boy who is very strong and able to lift a house. It's justified since as the title of the film suggests, Maruti is the reincarnation of Hanuman, a Hindu god.
84	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Abby is very much cute and since she acts as a bouncer for the group's red panda racket, and knocks down Mei with a single punch, they're aware that she's probably the strongest of the four.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
88	* Another princess is Cindy Collins in ''Film/ZoomAcademyForSuperheroes''. Bonus points given that at one point she actually wanted to wear a pink princess outfit, with pointed hat with tassel included, as her combat uniform.
89	* ''Film/LastActionHero'', where Jack Slater's teenage daughter subdues a mook in her bedroom with her bare hands and hardly breaking a sweat, all the time faking sounds of anguish and pain to keep his fellow mooks from interrupting.
90	* Jason Lane from ''Film/SupermanReturns'' manages to throw a piano when Lois is under imminent threat.
91	* Raven in ''Film/CecilBDemented''. She's one of very few sprocket holes who escapes the police alive at the end, and in the beginning she punches a guy out.
92	* Creator/MonicaKeena, in a number of roles. She's cute, she's sweet, and she's definitely petite, but piss her off, and you're going down. Just ask [[Film/FreddyVsJason Freddy fucking Krueger and Jason goddamn Voorhees]]. You don't fuck with a chick from [[BrooklynRage Brooklyn]].
93	* Creator/ZoeBell. Described in the script for ''[[Film/{{Grindhouse}} Death Proof]]'' as "Cute-as-a-bug's-ear [[UsefulNotes/NewZealand Kiwi]] stuntwoman". In one particular moment, she beats Stuntman Mike with a six-foot steel pipe she picked up off the side of the road, ''while he's still in the car''.
94	* Gogo Yubari from ''Film/KillBill'' is a decidedly [[PsychoForHire psycho]] version of one of these. Her introduction scene involves her gutting a ''sarariman'' like a fish with a wakizashi blade, and she fights the Bride with a meteor hammer.
95	* [[Film/WhipIt What happens if you put together]] a team consisting of Kristin Wiig, Creator/ElliotPage, Creator/DrewBarrymore, Zoe Bell, and others?
96	--> '''Babe Ruthless:''' Let's go apeshit.
97	* Kitty Pryde. In ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', this cutie even made ''The Juggernaut'' her bitch!
98	* Sonja Stromberg from ''Film/DoctorInDistress1963'' is a pretty young girl but is much stronger than she looks and knows how to fight men who look much stronger than her. Her sister Helga is just the same according to her.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Literature]]
102	* Keira in ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld'' is relatively short, and like most Elves, has a slender frame. She also wields a greatsword almost as big as her, is extremely strong, and will destroy you if you're not careful.
103	* Lisbeth Salander of the ''Literature/MillenniumSeries'' is described as being five feet tall and weighing ninety pounds, and at one point she beats up two bikers.
104	* Sally Kimball of the ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'' books, a 10-year-old known to be the prettiest girl and best athlete in her grade, who can beat up any guy, any size; hence, she's the bodyguard of the titular NonActionGuy.
105	** A similar character named Mary Evans appears in Sobol's ''Literature/SecretAgentsFour''.
106	* Juliet of ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'', especially in the third book.
107	* Arya Stark at the start of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', before becoming [[BreakTheCutie an increasingly sociopathic]] DarkActionGirl.
108	* Karrin Murphy from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Despite being five-nothing, blonde and adorable, she can chip a man's molar with one punch. There's nothing supernatural about her strength, though, as she's been studying aikido since she was eleven.
109	** The Denarian Tessa fits this trope -- when she's not a disgusting half-mantis demon.
110	*** Absolutely, Tessa.
111	** The Fey Ladies, the youngest of the Three Queens, are pretty, young women with the third largest punch of their court, Summer or Winter. YMMV on Maeve, though.
112	** Ivy, the Archive. Several members of the White Council are under the belief that she has the power equal to one of the Faerie Queens. It's heavily implied that they are ''severely'' underestimating her.
113	** Warden Commander Luccio, the senior-most combat wizard in existence, considers Harry this. She also ''counts'' as this, once she is trapped in the body of a cute twenty-something co-ed.
114	* ''ComicBook/{{Monster}}'', a Hulk parody that showed up in the [=McGuiness=] issues of Batman/Superman comics. A cute eight year old girl that can transform into a muscle-bound brute at will. Batman is soundly horrified at the concept of taking her into combat; he might have recruited a few fairly young and inexperienced sidekicks himself, but at least they were all ''out of high school''.
115	* Luisa from ''Literature/ShoshanYLaDamaOscura''. She's described as a 15 years old girl, with curly blonde hair, dressed in a Lolita fashion and even that she knows how to defend herself. Add the fact than when she was 4 years old she managed to escape from an hospital with her sister, attacking a lot of doctors on the process.
116	* Kirsty in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy''. In ''Literature/JohnnyAndTheBomb'', she even took down a soldier thanks to her karate training (granted, she caught him by surprise after successfully playing a scared girl).
117	** In ''Literature/OnlyYouCanSaveMankind'' she does the same to an armed alien whose species specializes in close combat.
118	* In the ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' trilogy, Vin, who is barely over five feet tall is one of the most powerful of the titular Mistborn, including the use of pewter which gives her super stamina and strength. This is often used to her advantage, as her opponents are less likely to see her as a threat.
119	** Although, surprisingly, the drawbacks of being so petite are also commented on and even shown. Because Pewter scales with physical strength, Vin is nowhere near as strong as a person with comparable allomantic ability and a larger build. Also, her speed is negated if she is forced to grapple and her short stature also limits her reach.
120	* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' has the Goddess Artemis, the TokenMiniMoe. A twelve year old girl in appearance, she [[spoiler:holds up the sky and fights Atlas on equal footing, who is said to be one of the strongest Titans.]] She's sort of a EnsembleDarkHorse for a reason.
121	* Ali from ''Literature/TheRedVixenAdventures''. Ex-pirate bodyguard with a troubled past, and four and a half feet of black and white [[BeastMan furry]] fury.
122	* Downplayed in ''Literature/CassandraKresnov''. Sandy and other [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots GIs]] are shorter than average, and Sandy explains that combat myomer doesn't handle well in large volumes - if she were a foot taller, she'd suffer chronic tension and be unable to control her own strength.
123	* ''Literature/UrbanDragon'' Arkay is so petite she could pass for a teenager, or even a child. She could also punch through a brick wall if properly motivated.
124	* ''Literature/TheAvenger'': Nellie Gray is a five foot tall woman who looks like "a porcelain doll" but is able to use jujitsu to throw around men three times her size.
125	* There are plenty of CuteBruiser characters at SuperHeroSchool [[Literature/WhateleyUniverse Whateley Academy]], since these are future superheroes (and supervillains and superpowered people trying not to be either). Of the main characters, Tennyo and Phase fit this trope. But the best match is probably Desidera, codenamed 'Diz Aster', an 11-year-old girl who's at Whateley because there's no other place safe to hold her. She is a PK supergirl who can apply 8 tons of force at a mere touch. And ''[[CursedWithAwesome she can't turn it off.]]'' She does everything with 8 tons of force. Typing. Opening the door. Changing clothes. She can't leave her room without putting on a special power armor suit whose sole purpose is to 'use up' her PK force and keep her from destroying everything she touches.
126	* Saga of ''Literature/NottingCove''. Characters comment on her cuteness and she easily defeats a character known for being ridiculously strong. She's also the youngest of the cast.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Music]]
130	* Noodle of the band Music/{{Gorillaz}}. Being the product of a SuperSoldier project, she has mastery of all forms of weaponry as well as hand to hand combat.
131	* The kid boxer in Audioslave's video for "Doesn't Remind Me."
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Podcasts]]
135	* Sid from ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' is the most physically combative of the team, and she is also a delightful teenage girl.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
139	* Several of the comedy-based wrestling promotions in Japan feature [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RseGEw0sY1w Kaicho Ramu]], whose gimmick is that she is a little girl, possessed by a demon, and strong enough to casually suplex and chokeslam adults. She actually started when she was 6 years old and (as of 2009) is 8 or 9 years old. (She should be about 11-12 years old as of December 15, 2012 now.)
140	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sJksFd5AfI&feature=related Riho]] (born June 4, 1997), now '''formerly''' of the Ice Ribbon promotion, has a similar gimmick, minus the possessed-by-a-demon thing. She started when she was 8 years old on May 29, 2006, and 15 years old now (as of December 15, 2012).
141	* WWE's {{Wrestling/Bayley}} is an adorkable kid-friendly babyface wrestler whose offence is based around power moves.
142	* Wrestling/AlexaBliss' original Face gimmick is that of a PluckyGirl who loves [[EverythingsBetterWithSparkles glitter and sparkles]]. She proved very popular with younger fans and became a TokenWholesome, but pulls a FaceHeelTurn to become HotterAndSexier. Once she returns to being a Face years later, Alexa is given a ClosetGeek character.
143	* Wrestling/LivMorgan. She began as a {{Tomboy}}ish PluckyGirl, then gets a GirlinessUpgrade in later gimmicks but never loses the Plucky-aspect of her character.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
147	* In both ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' and ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'', vampires don't age after being turned. So, in theory, if someone was Embraced four hundred years ago as an eleven-year-old girl, she could have all the awesome might of the most powerful vampire elders and look quite harmless. Similarly, it's noted in a few supplements that due to nutrition, most people were much shorter than modern average a long time ago, so that "short" vampires accorded respect by vampires you believe to be stronger than you should be afforded every courtesy...
148	* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}} RPG'', there is a feat called Childlike that allows Halflings to appear to be human children, without impairing their ability to be ass-kicking adventurers. On the other hand it also has massive {{Squick}} potential...
149	* Halflings and Gnomes might lack the above-mentioned feat in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', but that still doesn't prevent their womenfolk from being cute or capable of smashing people in the face. Especially in 4th edition, where they lack the traditional Strength penalties that prevent them from being good at melee classes -- halflings, with their Dexterity bonus, actually make pretty good {{Bare Fisted Monk}}s.
150	* Nako, who appears in all but one Free RPG Day ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'' adventure so far. Party tank, ship's gunner, [[PintSizedPowerhouse obscenely high Strength score]], totes a weapon bigger than she is, goes around geared up like a SpaceMarine? Yes to ''all'' of the above. She's also a three-foot-tall, candy-apple-red [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter skittermander]].
151	* Given the free form nature of character creation, it's easy to build such a character in ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds''. Canon examples include teen superheroes Nereid, a rare male version in Whoop-Ant, but most especially Changeling, who's a VoluntaryShapeshifter that prefers the form of a teenage GenkiGirl.
152	* One of the sample Powers in ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' is Rook Catchfly, the Power of Eternity, who is stuck forever at ten years old. She's a cheerful type who loves showing people how beautiful the world is. She's also Aspect 4 in a system where peak human physical and mental capability is Aspect 2, and her Tarot card in third edition specifies that it's probably a good idea to be polite to all little girls you meet until you're certain they can't bludgeon the Marine Corps into unconsciousness with a bear while outsmarting Stephen Hawking.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
156	* Tomoyo Sakagami of ''VisualNovel/{{CLANNAD}}'' is a quiet, somewhat soft-spoken young lady who aims to be student council president. She also used to (and still can) beat up gangs of delinquents with her bare hands and can deliver upwards of 500 kicks in a matter of two to three seconds with enough force to lift her targets off the ground and keep them there.
157	* Bakumi Moriyama of ''VisualNovel/{{Crimsoness}}'', a high school girl who, after one bad day, goes on a rampage and destroys everything in her path, including a crocodile, a demonic statue, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a door.]] The game ends with her [[spoiler: splitting Earth in half with her BARE HANDS.]]
158	* Shikikargura from VisualNovel ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz'' is about half the height of the other princesses and carries no weapon. Don't think that makes her weak.
159	* Ohtori Chihaya, in ''VisualNovel/{{Rewrite}}'', looks like your average high-school girl (albeit quite adorable). She also can lift more than six times your average adult male's lift capacity, without breaking a sweat. And walk out of several falls that would cause anyone else serious injury.
160	* The titular character of ''VisualNovel/TsumuguLogic'', an 18-year old teen who normally doesn't get aggressive and is generally a pleasant person to have around, is shown to be capable to overpower three trained guards ''all by himself''. The one who sent them visibly shows surprise at that, and [[TakeOurWordForIt the visual novel style]] doesn't quite let us see what exactly goes down, but the description says enough. It should also be mentioned that his family has a vague relation to crime to begin with.
161	* Celeste from ''VisualNovel/TyrionCuthbertAttorneyOfTheArcane'' is cheerful and sweet, but also a seasoned mercenary who even hardened criminals are wary about fighting.
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Web Animation]]
165	* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Anjren's a cute, expressive girl, but don't underestimate her, she can kick some serious ass! Especially when she activates her PoweredArmor.
166	* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Martha's cute, friendly, and also especially strong when [[AnIcePerson in her element.]]
167	* ''Gorilla Girl'': Jenny Silverback might be a small girl, but she has the strength and the temper of a gorilla.
168	%%* [[http://www.ninjai.com Ninjai.]]
169	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In a WorldOfActionGirls, there were bound to be a couple of these.
170	** The main protagonist, [[Characters/RWBYRubyRose Ruby Rose]], is the youngest member of the main cast at 15. She's about half the size of her weapon, which is a [[MixAndMatchWeapon scythe/sniper rifle combo]] she designed herself. She's also more passionate about weapons than [[NoSocialSkills people]].
171	** Nora Valkyrie is this and GirlyBruiser. She's a GenkiGirl with a heart motif who almost never stops grinning, even when told she's at risk of dying. Her weapon is as unsubtle as she is; a [[MixAndMatchWeapon grenade launcher/hammer combo]] which, like Ruby's weapon, can propel her through the air. The grenades it fires also have hearts on them.
172	** The one character who fits the spirit of this trope most is actually [[Characters/RWBYYangXiaoLong Yang Xiao Long]], Ruby's older half-sister. She's a [[LightningBruiser Lightning]] BoisterousBruiser who uses a boxing-like style augmented by wrist gauntlets with incendiary shotguns built into them. She's not the brightest or most graceful fighter in the world but her immense strength and ferocity in combat are usually more than enough to get the job done. That is not all: if [[NobodyTouchesTheHair her hair gets damaged in any way]], her [[DisproportionateRetribution standard response]] is to activate a SuperMode where her [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes flash red]] and she becomes even stronger, faster and crazier in battle. She's also the TeamMom of RWBY and the resident MsFanservice along with Pyrrha Nikos.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Web Videos]]
176	* Tamara (the character) from WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic is short and baby-faced (Critic even calls her Ayra Stark), but her beating the shit out of Critic is why he offers her a job in the first place.
177	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CuteBruiser