Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / FeministFantasy

Go To

1%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2%%
3%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16981695970.70140300
4%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1360097431084100100
5%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
6%%
7[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ErikaAndThePrincesInDistress https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/81xbszx5scl_ac_uf8941000_ql80.jpg]]]]
8%%
9
10->''"Many of my movies have strong female leads -- brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe in with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a saviour. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man."''
11-->-- '''Creator/HayaoMiyazaki'''
12
13About half the population is female, yet the chances are that any summer blockbuster you can name will have [[MenActWomenAre male heroes saving the world and women as]] their [[DamselInDistress hapless]] LoveInterests -- if they even feature at all. And if they do they'll probably only be minor characters [[UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest talking about the men in their lives]]. This invites a question: ''Why?''
14
15Well, because commercial fiction is produced to make money, and, for a variety of reasons, women have either lacked disposable income or have been more likely to pay for a story about a man than the other way round. Publishing costs money, and writers have to make a living, so they need to show profitability to get their works made. Thus, the English-speaking world's growing focus on women as equal partners has been slow to translate into fiction in which women figure as main characters. Adventure-oriented genre works, including fantasy and science fiction, have been even slower in that respect than romantic, comic, domestic, or "literary" stories.
16
17But there are always exceptions, and from those exceptions, we get Feminist Fantasy.
18
19At its most basic, this just means science fiction or fantasy whose main character is a woman who is the active center of her own story, making things happen. Maybe we just like seeing a woman save the world from aliens sometimes…
20
21These stories can, but don't have to, contain other feminist elements:
22* Some stories point out the ever-present but oft-ignored gender inequalities in a StandardFantasySetting. Conversely, escapist stories in which equality is simply taken for granted are good for a dose of optimism and expanding the idea of the possible.
23* Science fiction and fantasy are suited to examining sexual issues and gender relations by depicting alternative societies (maybe a LadyLand or the result of a {{Gendercide}}) or species with [[BizarreAlienBiology unfamiliar sexual biology]], or by subjecting characters to {{Gender Bend|er}}ing. (See also SpeculativeFictionLGBT.)
24* Another type of Feminist Fantasy is a gender-flipped or non-sexist [[TwiceToldTale retelling of an old story]], often [[FracturedFairyTale 19th-century fairy tales or folk tales]]. These are popular and seem to be the way this generation of Disney princesses is turning out -- see ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''. The former is self-aware and sends up the traditional Franchise/DisneyPrincess archetype, and the latter is about a hardworking girl who wants to be a businesswoman and ends up with a guy and a tiara along the way. Both arguably advocate different ways to "be female". ''Enchanted'' celebrates Giselle's idealism and the qualities that make her a "traditional" Disney princess while ''The Princess and the Frog'' contrasts Tiana's mature independence with her more girlish friend Charlotte.
25
26See also MostWritersAreMale, MostFanficWritersAreGirls, and MostWritersAreWriters. For when people watch a Feminist Fantasy because it portrays women well, see WatchedItForTheRepresentation.
27----
28!!Examples:
29
30[[foldercontrol]]
31
32[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
33* ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}'' is about a female Yakuza heiress who teaches in an all-boys' school for delinquents, trying to balance keeping her students in check like a drill Sargent, kicking all kinds of ass, saving the handsome ''DudeInDistress'' Shin, and yakuza politics. The live-action series… not so much.
34* Creator/KunihikoIkuhara:
35** ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is probably the most feminist anime in existence. It explores the classical fairytale motifs of the Heroic Prince that rescues a princess, the contrast of the innocent Princess and the mature Witch, and turns them completely on its head, while also dealing with childhood and growing up, often in very dark and mature fashion. The heroine, Utena, dreams of becoming a Prince just like the one that once saved her as a child and battles to protect the mysterious Rose Bride, Anthy, from the male-dominated Ohtori Academy and the many men who seek to [[StandardHeroReward win her as a prize]], [[DomesticAbuse abuse her]], and do other unpleasant things to her. As it turns out, [[spoiler:Anthy is the Witch of the story, despite being a kind and gentle soul who grows closer to Utena, shattering the WickedWitch archetype- meanwhile, Akio Ohtori/Dios, supposedly TheWisePrince, is the BigBad End of the World who's adherence to “male virtues” turns him into an abusive monster in a dark example of TestosteronePoisoning]]. It is surreal, and rarely is anything (or anyone) exactly what they seem.
36** ''Anime/YurikumaArashi'' may actually unseat ''Utena'' in terms of [[AuthorTract unbridled fury]] at the patriarchal structure of Japanese society, particularly in how it affects the way that women, especially lesbians, are portrayed in fictional media. Initially presented as a surreal fairy-tale take on the YuriGenre set in an all-female high school in a world where humans and bears have been separated by a massive Severance Wall, it rapidly becomes clear that not only does Ikuhara intend to [[DeconstructorFleet subvert and even deconstruct]] the sexist and homophobic assumptions [[ValuesDissonance underlying many such works and tropes]], but to explore how the implicit and explicit condemnation of nonconformity (especially with love, sexuality, and gender roles) adversely affects how individuals look at themselves and others. Of course, [[BrokenBase opinions are divided on how well it managed to do this]], with some claiming that the series is a massive BrokenAesop that is guilty of the same pandering it condemns, and the [[MindScrew surreal and confusing presentation]] does not help.
37* Creator/HayaoMiyazaki identifies himself as a feminist, and the numerous films of Creator/StudioGhibli typically feature female protagonists who are brave, clever, and strong-willed. He is not fond of the cliche where the lead male and female characters must end up together and wants to show love in other forms (the only film of his with a typical boy-meets-girl love story is ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''). He is openly critical of {{Otaku}} culture and sexist portrayals of women in media, such as {{Moe}} characters.
38* ''Manga/{{Basara}}'': Sasara disguises herself as her dead twin brother in order to become a rebel leader and overthrow the tyrants who rule the kingdom where she lives. She proves to be a capable swordfighter and leader, and successfully liberates her homeland.
39* ''Manga/WitchHatAtelier'': Other than being known for its [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt utterly gorgeous and jaw-dropping art style and paneling.]] Witch Hat Atelier is also known for its multitude of strong female leads with zero fanservice as well as delving into ''very'' sensitive topics such as sexual assault, victim blaming, and disability discrimination. Hell, its message on empowerment is so strong that the manga ''dedicated'' an entire chapter outright criticizing ''both'' Japan's treatment of sexual assault ''and'' the serious harmful effects on the ChivalrousPervert trope prevalent in the manga/anime industry to real-life treatment of women.
40* ''Manga/TheWitchAndTheBeast'': Nearly every ''single'' female character are action girls that are well-developed and could hold their own in a fight with zero fanservice. Even the ''one-off side characters'' have more agency than a good majority of female characters in the shonen genre. If anything, for a seinen in particular, the female characters are shown with ''more'' limelight and with more ''power'' than their male counterparts to the point that the [[MoreDeadlyThanTheMale More Deadly Than The Male]] trope is a ''given'' throughout the series. Is there any wonder why a significant chunk of the fanbase are women?
41%%* ''Manga/PrincessKnight'': One of the first manga to tackle gender issues. [[FairForItsDay Was considered very feminist at its time, maybe not so much today]], but it is still highly influential and is even the ''first shoujo'' manga.
42* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' has a strong focus on the feminine as a source of power, with the Princesses of various celestial bodies acting as the protectors of the universe. These powers are passed from mother to daughter, with WordOfGod explicitly stating that there is no current Sailor Earth because men cannot become Sailor Warriors. Tuxedo Mask, the Prince of Earth, is TheOneGuy of the group, and primarily there to provide support to the women rather than to rescue or protect them. Female sensuality and sexuality are subtly and respectfully explored in the series, avoiding equating [[IncorruptiblePurePureness purity]] with VirginPower as the heroine is both [[OnlyThePureOfHeart the purest of heart]] ''and'' intimate with her boyfriend. The relationship between Haruka and Michiru is portrayed without the typical fanservice related to lesbian couples, instead focusing on the strength of their devotion to each other.
43** The 20th-anniversary series, ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', is even more blatant right in its OpeningTheme, ''Moon Pride''.
44--->''"We all have [[HeroicWillpower unshakeable wills]], we will fight on our own without leaving our destiny to a prince!"''\
45''"We are not [[DamselInDistress helpless girls]] who need a man's protection."''
46** The notable thing about the series, however, is that it doesn't go and present the path of an idealized 'super tomboy' as an alternative, but contains large amounts of pink and frills and unicorns... and turns them into symbols of cosmic power, generally avoiding the message that you have to fit into a certain "box". Sure, there's one tomboyish character, but she's not ''defined'' by that and gets intricate motivations and characterization. There's a princessy hopeless romantic, but also someone who wants to become a doctor. What really set the show apart (especially compared to the American cartoons of the time who just had a token Smurfette, BettyAndVeronica or at best a TomboyAndGirlyGirl contrast where the character is completely defined by their possession or lack of whatever "girliness" is supposed to be) is that the various female characters have distinct, varied personalities not built around stereotypes related to their gender, but something that is sensibly related to the plot, such as the elemental powers associated with their planets.
47* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' features a school girl battling magical creatures, taming said creatures, and then using them to expand her personal army. She becomes the Mistress of the Clow Cards not by beating Yue over the head with her staff but by attempting to befriend him. One reason (of many) that the dub is despised is that it did its best to downplay Sakura's role in the US broadcast and increase Xiaolang's[[note]]To the point where it tried to make it look as though he was the main character.[[/note]] because it didn't think there was an audience for this sort of thing.[[note]]Along with fears that it would be perceived as reinforcing various female stereotypes.[[/note]] Sakura is still clearly the main character in other regions that received the Nelvana dub and did not have episodes cut, and the dub is in fact a Feminist Fantasy in its own way since it gives her a [[DubPersonalityChange more tomboyish personality]] in a genre that primarily enforces Japanese perceptions of feminine gender roles.
48* ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is a franchise that distinguishes itself from other MagicalGirl series through a strong focus on [[GoodOldFisticuffs physical fighting]] and each girl ''truly'' KickingAssInAllHerFinery. Expect to see girls in brightly-colored, frilly outfits smashing the male villains with their fists and getting into fight scenes worthy of any Shounen series.
49** ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'' gets a special mention for celebrating female ambition - magical girls literally draw power from their dreams. These aren't limited to AcceptableFeminineGoalsAndTraits either, with one girl wanting to be a businesswoman [[spoiler:and later a marine biologist]].
50* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' is a surreal tale set at a ballet school and centered around an old fairy tale being acted out. Ahiru takes on the role of Princess Tutu and becomes a MagicalGirl who uses dance to free the missing shards of the Prince's heart. As the story unfolds and the true nature of events becomes clear, Ahiru must find a way to save Prince Mytho and [[ScrewDestiny defy]] the original tragic ending of the story that the Raven and Drosselmeyer are intent on bringing about.
51%%* ''Anime/PrincessNine'' is all about a team of teenage girls taking on the ''boys'' high school baseball tournament.
52* The ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' multimedia franchise is the TropeCodifier for MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction, starring various casts of complex, three-dimensional female characters and their struggles both physical and psychological. The stories pull no punches in showing how harsh the world can be and how immensely difficult the job of being a magical girl is, especially since [[spoiler:the girls are trapped in a system by a cruel alien entity that engineers their doom]]. Nevertheless, many of the girls fight against the system that enslaves them, and there is always hope. This is most evident in two scenes of the original anime; first is a scene where Sayaka encounters and stands up to two misogynistic men on a train who beat their girlfriends and call all women whores (it's intentionally vague if Sayaka kills them); the second is [[spoiler:the scene where the titular Madoka [[AbstractApotheosis becomes a goddess]], freeing the other girls from the system and serving as a benevolent protector for all magical girls]].
53%%* ''Manga/SugarSugarRune''
54* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', the biggest name in the MagicalGirlWarrior subgenre, takes a very subtle approach to its portrayal of women: it never, ever directly addresses the gender roles (or sexuality, for that matter), but looking at it from that perspective readily reveals that the main (all-female) cast masters both traditional feminine (home-keeping, family-building, children-raising) and masculine (money-earning, loved ones-protecting, and world-saving) tasks with equal proficiency.
55* ''Manga/PhantomThiefJeanne'', which builds upon the story of UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc as its core. Maron is the reincarnation of Joan [[spoiler: and [[Literature/TheBible Eve]]]], and on a MissionFromGod to use her holy powers to track down and seal various demons. Because the items these demons hide in vanish after being sealed, she's mistaken as a PhantomThief and constantly on the run from the police. A skilled gymnast and acrobat, the majority of her attacks use feminine tools such as ribbons and flowers to fight the demons.
56* ''Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu {{Manga/Pretear}}'' (Pretear: The New Legend of Snow White) takes very loose inspiration from the fairy tale, only with seven handsome guys instead of dwarves. Himeno is approached by a group of warriors, who ask her to become the latest in a line of magical girls charged with protecting the world. As Pretear, Himeno possesses the power to destroy the monsters attempting to drain the [[LifeEnergy Leafe]] from the world, transforming with the aid of her Leafe Knights into various forms. Brave, energetic, and very much a {{Tomboy}}, Himeno struggles upon learning that should she lose hope, she will become the very thing she fights against. Her foe, [[DarkMagicalGirl Fenrir]], is in fact the previous Pretear who fell into despair.
57* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'' is another MagicalGirl series that features a team of girls using magic and their fists to save Planet Earth from evil aliens. Each girl is chosen to defend the planet from the invading aliens, using powers derived from the DNA of endangered animals; and the girls, far from being weak and fragile, show themselves to be perfectly capable of beating their male opponents.
58* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'': Often regarded as the most well-known and oldest modern anime Feminist Fantasy, and has been cited as an influence on ''[[Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Utena]]''; it follows Oscar, a noblewoman raised as a man in order to inherit her father's place as commander of the Palace Guard. Set prior to UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, Oscar is torn between class loyalty and her strong sense of justice, as well as the conflict between her gender and the militant life she leads.
59* ''Literature/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku'' is a story about the aspiration of the female protagonist to be a government official in a male-dominated FantasyCounterpartCulture of ImperialChina and how she is working hard through skill and determination to achieve those dreams.
60* Studio Creator/BeeTrain and its founder Creator/KoichiMashimo in particular are well-known in Japan for their very feminist stance. It is particularly evident in their GirlsWithGuns trilogy (''Anime/{{Noir}}'', ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'', and ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja''), which is all about strong women who make tough choices and kick ass in a dangerous world (though ''Noir'' is very light on the speculative aspect, mainly found in the [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower implausible fighting abilities]] of the main characters).
61* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' stars an almost entirely female cast, all HalfHumanHybrid warriors that hunt the shape-shifting Youma. The women are varied in both their personalities and appearances, with some being stunningly beautiful and some being downright unattractive. Beauty is [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished tarnished]] frequently, and the women are treated as powerful and determined warriors who form strong bonds or rivalries with each other. Fanservice is almost entirely absent, and what little nudity there is usually involves BodyHorror.
62* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', the groundbreaking {{Cyberpunk}} anime of the late 1980s. It focuses on the adventures of a [[FourTemperamentEnsemble team]] of female mercenaries in PoweredArmor called the Knight Sabers. Led by genius heiress Sylia Stringray, the team is composed of hard-rocking BadassBiker Priss, down-to-earth athlete Linna, and DitzyGenius hacker Nene. Using a soundtrack composed primarily of songs performed by Priss' [[FakeBand band]], it follows Sylia's quest to bring down the corrupt and male-dominated corporation GENOM.
63* ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' is an interesting example, being created to target a male audience with its shounen TournamentArc theme. However, it stars a female protagonist in a role usually reserved for male leads and features a primarily female cast. The game Angelic Layer utilizes customized dolls to engage in duels, blending activities stereotypically reserved for one sex or the other (dress-up with dolls vs. action figures fighting) together into an exciting concept.
64* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is another shounen series starring a female protagonist, in this case FieryRedhead Lina Inverse. While she has the reputation of being the most powerful sorcerer around, that title actually belongs to her [[AloofBigBrother Aloof Big Sister]], Luna. She's also not a slouch with a sword, making her a powerful warrior-mage that repeatedly saves the world. (And has a tendency to blow things up, when provoked.) The cast, when traveling as a group, remains gender-balanced and hold their own in battle. The Lord of Nightmares, creator of the universe, is notably portrayed as a young woman, and despite being rather [[EldritchAbomination scary]] and [[BlueAndOrangeMorality odd]] is still ultimately good, or at least non-evil, and a competent ruler (in contrast to the male Mazuko Lords and their followers, who seek to destroy the world).
65* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' takes the quest to rescue a PrincessClassic, and throws multiple twists into the formula. When the magical kingdom of Cephiro is in danger, [[BarrierMaiden Princess]] [[DamselInDistress Emeraude]] summons three ordinary girls to undertake a grand quest. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are the Magic Knights of legend, tasked with honing their magical powers through a series of trials in order to defeat [[BigBad Zagato]] and rescue the princess from him. [[spoiler:Then the genre [[PlayingWithATrope gets twisted]], as nothing is what it seems. Zagato is merely trying to ''protect'' the woman he [[StarCrossedLovers loves]], as Emeraude has summoned the knights to [[SuicideByCop kill her]] so a new Pillar can be chosen. They only learn the horrible truth after slaying Zagato, sending Emeraude into a murderous rage that threatens to completely destroy the world.]] The second series may be far more of a Feminst Fantasy as not only are more powerful women introduced like the princesses of Chizeta and Fahren, but it also ends with [[spoiler: Hikaru putting an end to the system that put the horrid burden on Princess Emeraude in the first place]].
66* Legendary CyberPunk creator ''Creator/ShirowMasamune'' seems to be fond of strong female protagonists, as several of his influential works feature them.
67** ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' stars Major Mototo Kusanagi, a cyborg policewoman. Throughout the continuities, Motoko goes up against various male [[DiabolicalMastermind criminal masterminds]] and always wins in the end. Her comrades are male as well, but she is the one in the spotlight.
68** ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}'' stars a BattleCouple in the form of Deunan and her cyborg partner, Briareos. Extremely skilled fighters, they are recruited into a counter-terrorism squad.
69** ''Anime/DominionTankPolice'' stars {{Shorttank}} Leona Ozaki, a police officer who drives a customized tank to battle crime in a futuristic city. She joins a police unit that is crippled by TestosteronePoisoning and helps make it actually effective while being just as HotBlooded as her boss.
70* ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}'': Despite the series' penchant for comedy, all of its female officers are portrayed as being capable and competent. [[TheProtagonist Noa Izumi]] starts off as a somewhat ditzy rookie cop, who gradually shapes up to become [=SVU2's=] best labor pilot. [[ColonelBadass Shinobu]] is the captain of [=SVU1=] and a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, while [[TheAce Kanuka]] is a hotshot NYPD officer, who's on loan to division 2. And finally, there's Takeo Kumagami, who serves as Kanuka's replacement after she ends her tenure and returns to The States.
71* ''Literature/DirtyPair'' has gone through numerous incarnations, but is invariably about the trope-naming LovelyAngels leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Kei and Yuri work for Worlds Welfare Work Association ("3WA"), a galactic troubleshooting agency that sends highly-skilled teams to deal with problems. Violently. While one of the most successful teams around, the Lovely Angels have been nicknamed the "Dirty Pair" due to the tendency of their missions to leave buildings, cities, and even an ''inhabited planet'' blown to smithereens. In some fans' eyes, the Feminist nature is somewhat diminished by the standard uniform being a midriff-baring, cleavage-exposing halter top and hot pants which are regularly the [[MaleGaze camera's focus]]. The uniforms have the fan nickname of "Battle Bikinis." It's generally agreed that in spite of the uniform, Kei and Yuri don't take any guff from anyone. An extremely positive portrayal of a trans woman in the 1985 TV show adds to its cred.
72* ''Anime/WizardBarristers'' features a TeenGenius that joins an OccultLawFirm. The cast is primarily composed of women who are professionals (lawyers, paralegals, investigators), who are almost universally powerful magic users as well.
73* Ironically, ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' of all series counts. The Anarchy sisters are powerful figures who are in full control of their sexuality and embody a very crude form of WishFulfillment for girls. Plus for all the fanservice that takes place, there's just as much sex humor that doesn't pander to the MaleGaze (or might even be FanDisservice to them). A good chunk of the show's jokes involves lampshading, subverting, or averting the gender DoubleStandard.
74* ''Anime/BloodTheLastVampire'' and its [[Anime/BloodPlus various]] [[Anime/BloodC re-tellings]] focus on Saya, a [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld seemingly]] teenaged VampireHunter that wields a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. No matter which incarnation, she is a deadly [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] on a quest to slay a powerful foe.
75* ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'' is ''very'' loosely based on the play, and re-imagines Juliet as TheChosenOne that enjoys a stint as a [[Franchise/{{Zorro}} Zorro-esque]] VigilanteMan. As the last surviving member of the rightful rulers of Neo-Verona, she is raised for the purpose of overthrowing [[BigBad Lord Montague]], the tyrant that murdered her family and turns out to also be [[spoiler:a BarrierMaiden that must be sacrificed to feed the mystical tree that holds up the floating island. Instead, she uses ThePowerOfLove to bring the island safely onto the ocean, breaking the cycle of sacrifice and saving the country with her sacrifice]].
76* ''Anime/SelectorInfectedWixoss'' blends darker elements of the MagicalGirl with the card-based tournament series, resulting in a series about young girls drawn into a mysterious game. The CollectibleCardGame Wixoss has a strong female following, and certain girls find that their in-game avatar (a "LRIG") is in fact alive -- promising if they battle as a "Selector" and meet certain conditions, their wish will be granted. The motivations and CharacterDevelopment of each girl is explored, with a strong focus on their friendships and rivalries as they battle to become an Eternal Girl and get their wish. Since the primary focus is a card game, the girls are portrayed using tactics and strategic thinking to outwit their opponent while their LRIG use FullContactMagic and [[PowerMakeover increasingly more decorative]] clothing to beat their opponent into the ground.
77* ''Literature/ShangriLa'' is a series with a largely female cast that focuses on the journey of Kuniko Hojo, a girl who, though initially reluctant, goes on to lead the resistance organization of Metal Age against the tyrannical Atlas Corporation. Most of the main characters are women; both Kuniko and her grandmother, the original leader of Metal Age, are positive role models. The story also has two transgender women, Momoko and Miiko, who, rather than being one-off jokes, are instead major characters with their own feelings, dreams, friendships, and roles to play. The BigBad, Ryoko Naruse, is a woman as well, and a cruel despot whose motivation is not tied to a man or men. She serves two male characters, but instead of being an obedient henchwoman, is instead treated as a credible and terrifying threat in her own right, and she makes it clear that she is [[DragonInChief the true power controlling Japan]]. There are several other female characters as well, both major and minor, and each with a diverse role to play.
78* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' takes many of the standards of the Shoujo genre -- a beautiful heroine with numerous potential male suitors -- and makes the heroine a {{Princess|Protagonist}} with a BattleHarem. According to legend, the Kingdom of Kouka was founded by a Dragon God that took human form and his four Dragon Warriors, beings blessed with the blood of the other Dragons that wished to protect their king. Princess Yona is the only child of the kingdom's pacifist king, and lives a sheltered life in the palace. But one night, she witnesses her beloved [[KissingCousins cousin]], [[BigBad Soo-Won]], murder her father and is narrowly saved from death by General Hak, her [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]]. Together, they become fugitives and begin a journey to locate the descendants of the original Dragon Warriors so that Yona can reclaim her kingdom. While initially [[DamselInDistress weak]], Yona quickly shows herself to have an unbreakable will and refuses to simply be protected -- learning to fight with a bow and a sword, becoming a {{Warrior Prince}}ss through intense and tireless training. As the reincarnation of the legendary Dragon-King Hiryuu, she is TheChosenOne and undergoes considerable CharacterDevelopment while [[TookALevelInBadass taking]] many levels in badass along her journey to save her kingdom, not only fighting against Soo-Won but defeats many other villains such as Yang Kum-Ji, an aristocrat slaver who victimizes many women and children.
79* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'' blends the MagicalGirlWarrior with the IdolSinger, featuring young women who save the world with magical armor that runs off ThePowerOfRock.
80* ''Anime/UmaMusume'' is surprisingly Feminist, particularly since it's primarily a MoeAnthropomorphism series. But the cutesy premise and fancy costumes take a backseat to an exciting, inspiring SportsAnime. The series heavily focuses on the athletic prowess of the girls, as well as the powerful bonds of friendship and [[FriendlyRival rivalry]] between them. Each girl is a SpiritedCompetitor who loves a challenge, pushing the other girls to become stronger runners and give them the best race possible. Whether teammates or fierce rivals, they support each other in pursuing their dreams and never resort to catty behavior, jealousy, or foul play.
81* In ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'''s Cyfandir arc (volume 5-10), female aspiring knight Ocoho is the {{deuteragonist}} and arguably the true hero, who contributes to unveiling the conspiracies surrounding the kingdom, [[spoiler:takes down a ship of Baron Merchants after her childhood friend Mordred's treason]] and indirectly opens Queen Boadicea's eyes on her mistakes. More generally, while the series' protagonist is male the story features a number of female characters who are not only as strong, active, and developed as the male ones, but also take an equal amount of physical damage, if not ''more'', with little-to-no MaleGaze. The author confirmed in volume 11's Q&A that he took great care in fleshing out male and female characters equally.
82* ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' is a series about Shirayuki, a red-haired herbalist making her own way in the world where she escapes an attempt to make her a concubine by fleeing to the kingdom of Clarines. The series becomes all about Shirayuki and her attempt to create a new life for herself, her own struggles, passions, and eventual mutually respectful romance with Clarines' Prince Zen, who values her as the person she is, along with Shirayuki's relationships to those about her.
83* ''Anime/TweenyWitches'' is a hauntingly beautiful dark fantasy primarily driven by a diverse cast of women. The entire cast is varied in both their personalities and [[CastOfSnowflakes appearances]], with some being stunningly beautiful and some being plain. The main trio of young apprentice witches, as well as [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Atelia]], prove themselves to be brave, resourceful, and independent without waiting for a man to rescue them. Their femininity, or lack thereof, is not shown as a [[RealWomenDontWearDresses bad thing]], as Arusu and Sheila are not shamed for their gender-nonconforming aspects while Eva and Atelia have moments where they demonstrate SilkHidingSteel. Instead, their characterizations are built around something that is sensibly related to the plot, such as having low self-esteem because of the [[IneptMage inability to cast magic]]. Meanwhile, the cold, emotionless, AlwaysMale warlocks are the villains of the series, who cause untold destruction, and are eventually soundly defeated by the ingenuity and kindness of the heroines.
84* ''Literature/VioletEvergarden'' is a tale dealing with emotional growth, personal discovery, and the trauma that lingers in the aftermath of war. The titular Violet is a child soldier who has only known war, facing an uncertain future after losing both of her arms and being separated from her beloved superior. Desperate to understand the meaning of the word "Love", Violet joins a Letter writing company as a ghostwriter, traveling to meet a variety of clients. Throughout her journeys, Violet comes to understand her own humanity and trauma, while helping others to deal with their own in turn. While no longer a soldier, Violet remains a fierce combatant when push comes to shove and fights to protect the world's hard-won peace.
85* ''Literature/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'' is a side-story focused on the adventures of GamerChick LLENN, and is notable for its ''drastic'' shift from the main franchise's [[UnwantedHarem poor]] [[DamselInDistress treatment]] of women. The cast is predominately female, with a strong focus on their gaming skills and the friendships they forge as teammates or rivals in the virtual world. LLENN's avatar is notable for being small and extremely pink, traits that she quickly realizes can be exploited in unexpected ways in the virtual world. Unlike the main franchise, the female avatars used are also quite diverse -- cute, KillerRabbit LLENN, LeanAndMean Pitohui, and even BrawnHilda Eva are all very unique in their looks.
86* ''Manga/{{Gals}}'' kicks this trope into overdrive. On the surface, it's a SliceOfLife series about the GyaruGirl subculture, and indeed the main characters spend a lot of time talking about clothes and boys. It also features the main character Ran Kotobuki beating up sexual assaulters, criminals, and other bullies nearly OncePerEpisode, all while giving lectures about how girls should respect themselves and not live their life for other people's sake. The very first episode has her talk a girl out of selling her body for CompensatedDating by [[ItMakesSenseInContext giving her a]] [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Get a Hold of Yourself, Woman!]].
87* ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' features three young girls trying to make it in the anime business. Two of them are shown to be talented artists while the other is business savvy. Also, none of them are sexualized and they have distinct facial and body types from each other. Racial diversity is also a prominent factor of the series with many of the girls featured having mixed ethnic backgrounds.
88* ''Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia'' has a cast of female characters with distinct personalities, talents, and body shapes. While ShipTease is present, it doesn't take over the character's arc.
89* ''Manga/ACentaursLife'' is an UrbanFantasy SliceOfLife story revolving around high school-aged girls of different mythical species. They go about their days in regular high school, going on wacky adventures together, and discussing heavy social themes.
90* ''Anime/KillLaKill'' may be heavy on the fanservice but there's no denying the anime has a very high number of different, powerful women, with both the main protagonist and antagonist being women. Both have allies that are primarily women and the protagonist canonically [[spoiler:goes on a date with another girl]] in the final episode.
91* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], or being [[MaleGaze heavily sexualized]], the story features a plethora of extremely badass women who generally tend to wear fairly butch clothing, are attractive without being drawn in an [[MaleGaze overtly lecherous]] manner, and tend to have a high degree of narrative importance, with Denji's primary love interest, Makima, being both one of the strongest characters in the series and the [[spoiler:BigBad]] of Part 1. Furthermore, Denji himself is [[ChivalrousPervert genuinely polite and respectful towards women]], never trying anything without explicit consent. It's made most apparent in Part 2, where the series switches to a female protagonist in Asa, with Denji acting as a SupportingProtagonist, where it explores her issues in a nuanced and realistic manner. Lastly, the BigBadEnsemble of the series, The Four Horsemen, are all women, with [[spoiler: Death]] being confirmed to be the most powerful Devil in existence, and by extension, the [[WorldsStrongestMan strongest character in the setting]].
92[[/folder]]
93
94[[folder:Card Games]]
95* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has an odd example: White represents healing, protection, chivalry, and law and order. Many of the powerful white creatures (''all'' the powerful angels, Lin Sivvi) are depicted as female. Indeed, the first pure white-mana plane, Serra's Realm, is a matriarchy.
96** As explained by Mark Rosewater himself, one reason for the FemaleAngelMaleDemon standard is to ''specifically'' avoid the evil succubus trope.
97** ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' in general is very equal opportunity-minded. The style guide given to the artists explicitly states: "Make an effort to illustrate a variety of races, genders, ages, and body types. Feel free to paint beautiful women, as long as they're shown kicking ass. No damsels in distress. No ridiculously exaggerated breasts. No nudity."
98** Furthermore, later editions make a point to avoid printing non-Legendary cards with exclusively male or female names, so cards like [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Hasran%20Ogress Hasran Ogress]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159141 Brothers of Fire]] are unlikely to see reprints any time soon.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Comic Books]]
102* ''ComicBook/Aria1979'' is a Franco-Belgian variation of the trope about an ActionGirl that roams an inhospitable land and who fights injustices along the way, a bit like a KnightErrant.
103* ''ComicBook/{{Darna}}'' is arguably the most well-known and beloved hero from the Philippines. She transforms from ordinary girl Narda to superhero Darna to defend the weak against the evil, whether they be common crooks or supernatural forces.
104* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
105** Mera, Queen of Atlantis and ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}''’s wife, is a powerful sorceress who would later become a BreakoutCharacter and kicks as much butt, if not more, than her husband.
106** Characters/{{Batgirl}} is always highly intelligent, a skilled fighter, and very much an equal to the other members of the Batfamily no matter which heroine currently wears the mantle.
107** Katana from ''ComicBook/{{The Outsiders|DCComics}}'' is a master swordswoman who goes on various adventures on various teams to battle against the villainy in the world.
108** ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' features the adventures of Kate Kane, a highly skilled former [[MilitaryAcademy West Point]] cadet who uses her military training to fight crimes.
109** ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'' is an alternate DC universe set during World War II where all the superheroes are female. Women in general also have more opportunities than they did in reality, like full military and police service and greater participation in sports (even traditionally masculine ones like boxing).
110** ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' deals with beings from Fairy Tales and mythology living in exile in modern-day New York. It explores some of the darker aspects of the original tales and deconstructs many of the problematic elements found there. In particular, Prince Charming is the prince from ''most'' stories, and a serial divorcee unable to find happiness as a result. Snow White is often the focus of the series, having grown into a strong-willed politician who runs much of Fabletown's daily business. Just don't mention the seven Dwarves. Consisting of a massive ensemble cast, almost every single female character has developed over the centuries into a force to be reckoned with. The war in the Homelands, as well as changes in human society, have transformed them into modern women, often looking unfavorably on certain aspects of their pasts. The {{Spin Off}}s, ''Fairest'', ''From Fabletown With Love'', and ''Fables Are Forever'' all focus on the women of the series. The latter two are solo adventures starring Cinderella, [[spoiler: Fabletown's master spy and assassin]] in James Bond-style adventures. Issues of female sensuality and sexuality, motherhood, reproductive rights, healthy and unhealthy relationships, misogyny, and sexism are all touched on or explored within the series.
111** Characters/PowerGirl has always been portrayed as a powerful heroine and often stands out from other female characters in having a muscular build. Her CleavageWindow (easily her most marketed feature) is a point of contention, with people both in and out of universe asking exactly how seriously she, Kara, can be taken in such an outfit. How it's resolved is usually DependingOnTheWriter.
112** Characters/{{Supergirl}} has had multiple incarnations but is always one of the most powerful heroes around since she is the DistaffCounterpart to Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}.
113** Characters/{{Wonder Woman|TheCharacter}} is perhaps the ''original'' Feminist heroine; a super strong crime fighter ''amazon''. Creator William Moulton Marston even believed that within a century America would become a matriarchy (and that that was a good thing).
114** Characters/{{Zatanna}} is a gifted magician who solves occult problems either on her own or with a team. She is noted to be brave, mature, and likable. She grew in popularity due to [[ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} her solo comic series]].
115* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' is a series with explicit Feminist themes, and the decades-long work of married creators Wendy and Richard Pini. The series explores gender roles through culture clash, features multiple examples of female leaders and warriors, takes potshots at the Comic Industry's bias against female creators, and features an incredible variety of female characters. In particular, long-time lovers Nightfall and Redlance defy typical gender roles with her as a fierce Huntress and Warrior, while he is a gentle [[GreenThumb Plantshaper]]. The BigBad, Winnowill, is also a woman. During the '80s, the possibility of a Saturday Morning cartoon was explored but ultimately abandoned when ExecutiveMeddling came into play. The studio demanded that PolarOppositeTwins Ember and Suntop be given a personality switch, as they didn't want a [[{{Tomboy}} tough]] future Chieftess and a [[NonActionGuy gentle]] boy. The Pinis walked away rather than comply.
116* ''ComicBook/{{Femforce}}'' from AC Comics is a superhero group composed entirely of women. Despite the "cheesecake" art style, the ladies of Femforce are treated with a reasonable level of respect - they are brave, smart, capable, and everything else a hero should be.
117* ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' features a FinalGirl who becomes a SerialKillerKiller, traveling the country fighting undead beings known as "Slashers". Cassie Hack is [[MadeOfIron tough as nails]], highly intelligent, and a bit concerned that her mother's murderous impulses may be InTheBlood because she's ''really'' good at fighting monsters. She travels with the deformed Vlad, who looks a bit like [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason]] but is actually the more gentle and kindhearted of the pair. The series deals head-on with many of the misogynistic tropes of Horror films, and Cassie often works to help other women go from victims to {{Action Survivor}}s capable of fighting for themselves. Often compared to [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]], another series involving the designated female victim killing monsters.
118* ''ComicBook/JillTrentScienceSleuth'' was about the titular hero solving crimes and mysteries and her main companion is her female best friend.
119* ''ComicBook/{{Lumberjanes}}'' features five teenage girls who [[ActionGirl kick butts]], solve mysteries, and growing in their [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]].
120* ''ComicBook/MagicalBeatdown'' is a hyper-violent street harassment revenge fantasy about an average video game-loving schoolgirl who transforms into a foul-mouthed and rage-fuelled MagicalGirl when provoked.
121* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
122** ''ComicBook/AForce'': A Marvel superhero team consisting entirely of women from the Avengers, including several names found elsewhere on this list like Captain Marvel and She-Hulk.
123** ''ComicBook/BlackWidow'' is one of the greatest spies in the world, a deadly assassin, and a core member of the Avengers.
124** [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel]] ([[IHaveManyNames formerly Ms Marvel, Warbird and Binary]]) is a highly decorated Officer turned superheroine. Carol has seen many ugly incidents, but even when stripped of her powers she still kicks much ass alongside her male peers. Eventually, after the madness that was M-Day and living an alt life as the most powerful non-mutant superhero, she got her act together. Furthermore, she transitioned from Ms Marvel to Captain Marvel, taking on the title in honor of the original Mar-Vell (while she isn't the first female to do so, being the third actually, she is the one with the most staying power).
125** ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' has become one, with [[ComicBook/Thor2014 a woman]] currently holding the title and wielding Mjolnir. With the new Goddess of Thunder, the series has taken on a distinctly [[http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/23/marvel-comics-thor-attacks-critics-feminist feminist tone]] with creators responding to sexist complaints in a very meta fashion.
126** ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'' sees a new generation taking up the mantle, focusing on Pakistani-American teenager Kamala Khan. A long-time fan of Carol Danvers, she is inspired to take up the mantle of Ms. Marvel after gaining superpowers as part of the Terrigan Mists awakening her dormant Inhuman genes. The series has been an unexpected hit, with critics even calling her "the new Spider-Man".
127** Depending heavily upon the creators involved, ''ComicBook/RedSonja'' is an early example with a powerful, independent female warrior who focused strongly on defending the weak and turning the tables on her male foes. Some [[ChainmailBikini aspects]] [[BestHerToBedHer of]] [[RapeAsBackstory the]] character come under question, or have been poorly handled by creators and undermined the more positive elements. This has resulted in Sonja being a highly controversial character, alternately praised as an iconic Feminist heroine or decried as a juvenile representation of a heroine. The incarnation being written by creator Creator/GailSimone has been highly praised.
128** ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' is a brilliant lawyer, as well as a physical powerhouse, ''and'' her series often deals with positive portrayals of female sensuality and sexuality.
129** The ''ComicBook/SpiderGwen'' one-shot takes perhaps the [[ILetGwenStacyDie most famous]] [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied dead girlfriend]] in all of comic books, and offers an alternate take on things. Gwen Stacy becomes the super-hero with spider powers, though the circumstances of her and Peter are radically different; while Uncle Ben doesn't die [[spoiler: Peter ends up dying a bit after he becomes the ''Lizard'', due to being envious of her superhuman abilities and him always needing her help.]] The series started as a one-shot in ''Edge of ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', and proved popular enough to get an ongoing that ran for five issues before ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' hit, then relaunched with a new issue #1 after it was over.
130** ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'' has had several incarnations, but is always a strong woman with abilities that set her apart from that [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker other hero]] with spider-themed powers. Interestingly enough, she was not created as his [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] (she was actually made when Marvel noticed some people were making a project called Spider-Woman and they rushed to make the character to claim the name), so she can carve her own path.
131** ''ComicBook/TheUnstoppableWasp'': Nadia van Dyne is an enthusiastic {{Science Hero}}ine eager for adventures. Her recurring mentor is her [[GoodStepmother stepmother]] Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp and the first female Avenger. Nearly all of her supporting characters, not to mention her most prominent team-ups, are women and girls, many of whom are her friends through [[FunWithAcronyms Genius In action Research Labs]].
132** ''ComicBook/XMen'': Beginning with the famous run of Creator/ChrisClaremont from 1975 to 1991. His run saw [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] grow from TheLoad to one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Universe, Phoenix Force notwithstanding, and established [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]] firmly as the team leader. Even with his departure from the X-books, the franchise continues this tradition of portraying varied women -- often the most popular characters in the book(s) at any given time.
133* ''ComicBook/PaperGirls'' follows a ComingOfAgeStory for four female friends which includes sci-fi and time-traveling that has each of the members learning more about themselves as well as valuable lessons.
134* ''ComicBook/{{Princeless}}'' is about a [[GirlInTheTower princess in a tower guarded by a dragon]], who gets tired of waiting for a prince to rescue her and strikes out on her own (with the dragon).
135* ''ComicBook/TankGirl'' is a cult classic among female fandom for its outrageously sex-positive characters and punk aesthetic. Notably, Rachel Talalay proposed doing a film adaptation because of this, and despite being heavily neutered from its source material because it scared the executives, the movie also developed a cult fanbase over the years.
136* ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} was created as this, though changes in Feminist ideals and poor handling by creators have strayed from that. Designed and co-created by feminist Trina Robbins, she was a strong, powerful, independent heroine with a seductive appearance ''and'' innate goodness. Like the equally controversial Red Sonja, she was created during the Second Wave of Feminism -- an era that dealt with women's sexuality, rejection of sexual repression, and reproductive rights.
137* The only thing preventing ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' from being a MagicalGirl ''manga'' is that it was drawn and first published in Italy.
138* ''ComicBook/ZsazsaZaturnnah'' is a famous Philippine heroine who fights against the forces of evil, especially misogynistic villains.
139%%* The Daughters of the Dragon mini-series starring Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.
140%%* Speaking of Creator/GailSimone, ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' is a rare example of a female-centric superhero team.
141%%* ''ComicBook/RatQueens'' centers on a particularly crude and foul-mouthed team of strong women.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Fan Works]]
145* ''Fanfic/HoldingTheWorldOnTheirShoulders'' is a specifically trans feminist fantasy, following May Marigold, a trans woman who suffers severe TransTribulations, becomes a FemmeFatale, inherits the mantle of [[GenderRestrictedAbility Maiden]] with the immense magic that comes with it, and becomes TheHeavy for the entire story of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''. The main antagonist of the story is also the fascist dictator James Ironwood who represents everything wrong with the transphobic society May was raised in.
146* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' has the focus on Chloe Cerise, who doesn't ''want'' to be the "female companion of Ash Ketchum who goes on a journey and finds her GoalInLife via Pokémon" but feels all the pressure when everyone ''else'' expects her to follow this role because of her father (the local Pokémon Professor) and sees that those creatures just take everyone's attention away from her, making her feel unloved and unwanted. When she finds herself on the Infinity Train, the first thing she does is get a change in wardrobe, swapping the school uniform with anchors with a dress for fish to symbolize her freedom, and decides that she's going to discover herself while on the train and not give a Fletchling about her family and friends worrying for her because she knows that going back home will mean everyone just forcing her to go along with their wishes and her going back to the status quo.
147** The author, herself a woman, points out the ''numerous'' amounts of {{Double Standard}}s Chloe faces because of her gender whereas Ash and Goh are praised or have the freedom to follow their dreams because either they're into Pokémon or are boys or how she's bullied either because she's skilled in something that's mostly for boys (softball) or because she isn't into what everyone in society is into (demons, writing and macabre) in fact stating that the entire story was ''inspired'' by a DoubleStandard moment from the anime itself[[labelnote:Explanation]]When asked what she wanted to be in life, everyone talked over her; the previous student, a boy, gets away with "My life is a work in progress"[[/labelnote]] and finding it increasingly annoying how much Chloe is OutOfFocus over Goh[[labelnote:Explanation]]Chloe's first focus episode was Episode 11, the story was written before Episode 29 which would have been her ''second'' focus episode[[/labelnote]].
148** Finally, Chloe does not have a love interest of any kind. The closest she gets is Lexi (who is dressed as the boy of her nightmares but acts more like an advisor and friend), and her growth in this story and the sequel is about trying to mend fences with her {{Childhood Friend|s}}. She faces a lot of pressure when she constantly gets labeled different things from "Monster Lover" to "Princess". [[spoiler:The Unown construct of her even plays with it; everyone always sees her differently like a statue, a fragile china doll, and even just herself with her mouth stitched up, reflecting how the real Chloe is never really seen as a person.]]
149* Many ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' fanfics give more nuanced roles to the three pixies that were portrayed as useless idiots in the movie, and change Queen Leah's death to a divorce, increasing the number of female roles as well as the quality of the portrayal of women. Maleficent herself makes for a decent feminist hero, and Aurora, more often than not, grows up to be a {{Warrior Prince}}ss. Some fanfics also do away with the implied romance with Prince Philip, by shipping Aurora with Maleficent.
150* ''Fanfic/MobileSuitGundamStorm'' is an attempt to take ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'''s "[[PhlebotinumGirl Artificial Newtype Girl]]" archetype (most directly Soma Pieris of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'') and, in the words of Creator/JossWhedon, "create someone who was a hero where she had always been a victim".
151* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
152** One of the objectives of Leslie Fish's ''The Weight'' series, from the 1970s, was to provide the main cast with female counterparts who were every bit as competent as they were. Henry Jenkins chose this story as a case study in the fanfiction chapter of ''Literature/TextualPoachersTelevisionFansAndParticipatoryCulture''.
153** In Henry Jenkins' ''Literature/TextualPoachersTelevisionFansAndParticipatoryCulture'', he mentions Jane Land's "Demeter", which puts Uhura and Christine Chapel in command of an all-female landing party on a voyage to a lesbian separatist space colony; their adventures not only provide these characters with a chance to demonstrate their professional competency but also to question the patriarchal focus and attitudes of The Original Series and its male protagonists. Land characterises her project as rescuing Chapel from "an artificially imposed case of foolishness":
154--->"Try to think objectively for a moment about what we know of Christine Chapel's background, education, accomplishments... and you will come up with a far more interesting character than she was ever allowed to be. The Christine Chapel I found when I thought about her was neither wimp nor superwoman, but, I hope, an intelligent, complex, believable person."
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
158* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' is a [[PluckyGirl spunky, proactive young woman]] who is determined to track down the family she [[AmnesiacHero barely remembers.]] She is quite [[FieryRedhead snarky, quick-witted, and takes crap from no one]], as [[BelligerentSexualTension Dimitri]] finds out the hard way. Although she needs Dimitri and Vlad's help to reach France and find her family, she proves to be of great help during their journey. Anastasia is ultimately the one who defeats [[BigBad Rasputin]] and in the end, she decides to [[spoiler: give up being a princess (or Grand Duchess to be more specific) because finding her family was always more important to her than being royal, and this way she gets to live life on her own terms and be with Dimitri]].
159* ''WesternAnimation/AprilAndTheExtraordinaryWorld'' follows the titular ScienceHero protagonist in an AlternateHistory who goes on adventures of eluding corrupt cops, reuniting with her parents, and saving humanity. And while she has a love interest, it doesn't take precedence over her character arc.
160* A number of the direct-to-video Franchise/{{Barbie}} animated films with fantasy or fairy tale settings are this:
161** In the ''WesternAnimation/BarbieFairytopia'' series, the main protagonist Elina is a fairy who saves Fairytopia multiple times from the clutches of the EvilSorceress Laverna, even when she doesn't have wings in the first film (this in fact gives her an advantage, as she is unaffected by Laverna's spell that sickens fairies and prevents them from flying). Fairytopia is ruled by the [[BenevolentMageRuler benevolent Enchantress]] and seven Fairy Guardians, the majority of which are women; Azura in particular serves as a wise and supportive mentor to Elina. In the second film, Elina teams up with a tough and snarky mermaid named Nori to save [[DistressedDude Prince Nalu]], ruler of Mermaidia.
162** ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheMagicOfPegasus'' follows Annika, a [[RebelliousSpirit rebellious]] and [[{{Determinator}} determined]] princess who loves ice skating. [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething She sets out to save her parents and kingdom after they're frozen]] by [[EvilSorceror Wenlock]], who [[NotGoodWithRejection didn't take Annika rejecting his marriage proposal well.]] The secondary protagonist is a talking Pegasus named Brietta [[spoiler: who is actually Annika's LongLostSister, who also rejected Wenlock]]; breaking the spell on Brietta subsequently becomes part of her motivation, too. Annika and Brietta are aided in their quest by [[TheHighQueen Rayla the Cloud Queen]] and her three daughters. Near the end, it's revealed that Wenlock's three troll slaves are actually [[spoiler: his wives, [[DomesticAbuse whom he cursed when he got bored of them]]]]. When Annika realizes this, she promises to free them if they help her defeat Wenlock. [[spoiler: After the women are restored and Wenlock has been BroughtDownToNormal, they quickly take custody of their ex-husband and begin ordering ''him'' around.]]
163** ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheDiamondCastle'' revolves around HeterosexualLifePartners Liana and Alexa, who befriend Melody, a young trainee Muse who is trapped in a mirror. They set out to free her by finding the magical Diamond Castle while being pursued by an evil former Muse named Lydia. The Muses are depicted as an order of women who can use music to perform magic. Notably, although Liana and Alexa have a bit of ShipTease with two guys, the film focuses more on the friendship between them and Melody; it is in fact [[ThePowerOfFriendship their bond as friends]] that magically protects them from Lydia's spells and enables them to defeat her in the end.
164* The protagonist of ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' is a determined, brave, and good-hearted hen trying to free other imprisoned hens from the female BigBad and her plans to eat them.
165* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' is a smart, active, and proactive young woman who ends up saving her parents from a powerful BigBad, who is another woman.
166* [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] animated films have been more proactive with their female characters starting with ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'', but the most extensive example of this trope is undoubtedly ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''. The princess movies seem to be getting less and less sexist, as well as more self-aware, with every passing year. Whether they count as ''feminist'' depends on where you draw the line; for the most part, they're definitely not groundbreaking in any way:
167** ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Princess Jasmine is another RebelliousPrincess, unsatisfied with her GildedCage and unwilling to be forced into marriage just because the law demands it. Her EstablishingCharacterMoment involves sending her latest suitor packing by sending her pet tiger after him.
168** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' features an [[BrainyBrunette intelligent]], free-spirited heroine who loves to read and dreams of living a life of adventure. Belle stands her ground against JerkJock Gaston and the titular [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Beast]], calling them on their behavior and refusing to change herself to suit others.
169** ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' stars Merida, a RebelliousPrincess that is something of a tomboy. She's an exceptional archer, as well as skilled at horseback riding and rock climbing, and constantly battles with her strict, traditional mother. The story focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, as an ArrangedMarriage and a curse force them to work together and begin understanding one another better. [[spoiler: Merida comes to see her mother's quiet strength and the heavy responsibility she shoulders as both a mother and a Queen. Meanwhile, Queen Elinor comes to respect her daughter's independence and decides against forcing her into a political marriage. As a ''literal'' MamaBear, she faces down and defeats a monster bear in order to protect her husband and children. The curse is lifted once Merida is able to accept her mistakes and reconcile with her mother. The political marriage is called off, with both Merida ''and'' her suitors declaring that they want to MarryForLove and the relationship between Elinor and Merida strengthened considerably.]]
170** ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' follows the female [[TheEveryman Everyman]] protagonist as she tries to find her place in her magical family while also trying to save said family and their home. While her family includes males and females, special attention is given to her relationships with her female relatives, especially her maternal grandmother. All of the women are flawed, complex but ultimately good people with varying character designs.
171** ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' focuses on the relationship between two sisters, and explores the meaning of True Love as well as conquering your fears. Anna is in love with the idea of love, dreaming of LoveAtFirstSight while Elsa attempts to always keep her emotions in check and refuses to let anyone close out of fear of her powers. [[spoiler: Anna falls head over heels in love with Prince Hans, agreeing to marry him after knowing him for a few hours. First Elsa, and later Kristoff, both call her on rushing into such a serious matter with someone she barely knows. The nature of True Love is also explored when Anna's heart is frozen, with only an "act of True Love" capable of saving her. Everyone believes it will require True Love's Kiss, and rush her back to Hans... only for him to turn out to be a BitchInSheepsClothing out to seduce his way onto the kingdom's throne. The act of True Love is instead Anna's HeroicSacrifice to protect her sister, and this allows Elsa to realize that fearing her powers and shutting everyone out was the cause of her PowerIncontinence. Once she accepts herself, she's able to restore her kingdom and become a Queen adored by her people. Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff realize their feelings for each other and take the first steps toward a relationship. Hans is first punched into the harbor by Anna, and then sent back home to face punishment for his crimes.]]
172** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' [[{{Xenafication}} transforms]] Esmeralda from the weak, fickle woman of [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the novel]] into being kind-hearted and street-smart. Even when she's in danger, she [[DefiantCaptive makes]] [[GroinAttack them]] [[DefiantToTheEnd regret]] it. Her role illustrates how unrealistic the MadonnaWhoreComplex truly is, as all three men want her....but while Quasimodo sees her as a perfect angel and Frollo sees her as a wicked temptress, AmazonChaser Phoebus sees and appreciates the ''person''. When Frollo ties her to a stake and threatens to have her [[BurnTheWitch burned as a witch]] if she doesn't become his mistress, she responds by [[SpitefulSpit spitting]] in his face.
173** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'': Ariel is a RebelliousPrincess fascinated by the human world, challenging her father's firm belief that everything on the surface is evil. Falling for Prince Eric is merely the push needed to drive her to pursue her dream. Unlike her counterpart in the original story, she gets a happy ending.
174** ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' is a notable departure from many Disney traditions, a fact the company made a point to advertise. Though the chieftain's daughter, Moana is shown to be the sole heir and next in line to lead her people, without any mention of marriage being necessary. In fact, the company noted that she would not have a {{Love Interest|s}} or romantic subplot. The film instead focuses on her as TheChosenOne that undergoes a quest to find the demi-god Maui and save the world.
175** ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': Based on the Chinese legend. Mulan is resourceful and brave, choosing to disguise herself as a man in order to take her father's place in the Imperial army. Through her quick wits and determination, she becomes an accomplished soldier and goes on to defeat the BigBad Shan-Yu and save China from his conquering ambitions. [[spoiler: Her love interest follows her home, to return her helmet. When awkwardly complimenting her, he focuses on her fighting skills.]]
176** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' stars another RebelliousPrincess, ''very'' loosely based on the real figure from American history. She's bothered by the idea of settling down in a "good match" marriage. Instead, she challenges John Smith's ideas about the world and ends up preventing a war.
177* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Tiana is a hard-working, determined young woman with a dream of opening her own restaurant. [[spoiler: She faces down the BigBad to save Naveen, winning through her refusal to accept the temptation of an easy fix. She then confronts the businessmen who refused to sell the restaurant to her, and goes on to achieve her dream of opening a thriving business that she runs with Naveen at her side.]]
178** ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' is the TropeCodifier as far as Disney examples go. The villain Maleficent is a LadyOfBlackMagic and is referred to as the Mistress of ''All'' Evil. She's notably stronger, more powerful, and much smarter than the typical Disney villain. So effective is she that she's effectively ''won'' [[NearVillainVictory by the end of the second act]]. On the heroes' side, the three Good Fairies drive the plot. They hide the princess from Maleficent for years and create the counter spell to save her. When Prince Philip is captured, the fairies are the ones who rescue him and provide him with the tools necessary to stop Maleficent. ''Blog/UnshavedMouse'' noted how unusual even today it is for a film to feature three female protagonists who don't provide {{Fanservice}}, pass UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, and don't end up as someone's love interest.
179** ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel, while having [[TheIngenue multiple]] PrincessClassic [[FriendToAllLivingThings traits]], uses her 70-foot-long hair and a {{frying pan|OfDoom}} as weapons. When her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] refuses to let her leave her tower to see the yearly lights in the sky that she's always dreamed of watching up close, she knocks out the thief who breaks into her tower, ties him up with her hair, and talks him into showing her where the lights take place.
180** ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' has BadassAdorable Vanellope Von Schweetz and SpaceMarine Sgt. Calhoun, as one half of the gender-balanced main cast. Vanellope is a glitched character in a racing game and blackmails Ralph into helping her win the next big race. [[spoiler: In doing so, the game will be reset and she'll reclaim her rightful place as the Main Character. Though she's really a Princess, she gives up the throne in favor of becoming President.]] Sgt. Calhoun is the commander in a First Person Shooter, acting as the player's guide and generally kicking ass as a [[Franchise/MassEffect Fem!Shep]] {{Expy}}. Having been WidowedAtTheWedding when a Cy-bug ate the groom, she's determined to track down and destroy the Cy-bug threat. [[spoiler: She ends up marrying Fix-It Felix Jr., who falls in LoveAtFirstPunch and avoids his predecessor's fate due to the wedding involving massive amounts of firepower. The ending credits feature them as a BattleCouple.]] It's also noteworthy for the decision to use a [[GamerChick young girl]] as the AudienceSurrogate for the events outside the video games.
181** ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' has an extended sequence in which Vanellope meets the characters who comprise the Franchise/DisneyPrincess lineup. They [[LampshadeHanging jokingly acknowledge]] some of the more sexist tropes that have informed the franchise (focus on external over internal beauty, DamselInDistress status, etc.), act as {{Big Sister Mentor}}s to Vanellope, and [[spoiler:in the climax, the fourteen of them basically become a superhero team, using their unique skills and {{Iconic Item}}s to save Ralph's life]]. In a more subtle example from the same film, the final antagonist is [[spoiler:a horrifically destructive {{Kaiju}} embodying Ralph's insecurity about the fact that his close female friend wants to seek her own fulfillment instead of staying with him]].
182** ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' uses FunnyAnimals as a media to discuss serious issues of prejudice in society, and how stereotypes harm and hold people back from their dreams. Judy Hopp is a cheerful and determined young Bunny, and refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a Police Officer even when told there's never [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything been a Rabbit Cop]]. She manages to achieve her dream of becoming the first Rabbit Police Officer but is ignored and belittled by others as "dumb", "cute", or "not a real cop" and sent to work as a Meter Maid. She fights through all of this and teams up with Fox con artist Nick to save Zootopia from a dangerous plot. The film consulted female police officers about the issues they encounter on the job and the struggles of being seen as the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple token girl]] in a male-dominated profession.
183* ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'', a straight-to-DVD film series about six fairies with different "talents" (gardening, fast-flying, animal husbandry, water and light-bending) with no love interests who always go on adventures. The main protagonist is a "tinkerer" which is the equivalent of an inventor and mechanic.
184* ''WesternAnimation/HappilyEverAfter'': Snow White is out to save her prince and the dwarves have been replaced by dwarfelles. There's also an additional "empowerment" element for little girls watching the movie, as Thunderella, the youngest of the Dwarfelles, does finally manage to "get it right" regarding her powers and is primarily the one responsible for the villain's defeat.
185* Being the DeconReconSwitch that they are, ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'' discuss the topic of women and their roles in society through Helen Parr. In the first film, whereas Bob (trying to fit the role as the Standard50sFather) is under masculine pressure to be independent and learning to accept help from others, Helen is the {{Housewife}} that overextends herself to help others and relearns to take-charge for herself in her efforts to save her husband from Syndrome like the feminist icon she propertied to be. In the second film, Helen takes on the role of breadwinner because her abilities are more P.R. friendly. While uncomfortable with the idea at first, she rediscovers a more independent part of herself that she had forgotten about and sees that she has a positive impact on other women like Voyd.
186* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' is an AffectionateParody of the Silver Age of Comics. Roxanne Ritchie is a [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]]-style reporter and frequent DamselInDistress for various evil schemes, but she's easily the most level-headed character, and her skills as a journalist save the day repeatedly throughout the movie. The villain Tighten turns evil when Roxanne tells him that she is not interested in him, as he had figured that heroics would automatically entitle him to his crush.
187* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon'' follows a young girl's desire and adventures to meet the moon goddess, Chang'e. Said young girl is a ScienceHero ChildProdigy who goes through a coming-of-age story of learning to move on from her grief. Also, her relationship with her deceased mother is a central relationship in the film.
188* ''WesternAnimation/RubyGillmanTeenageKraken'': This is prominently Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's take on doing a ComingOfAgeStory comedy through the lens of a shy adolescent girl with anxiety. The twist here being it's filtered through a superhero-esque sea fantasy starring humanoid sea krakens that can transform into powerful Kaijus. As stated sporadically in the film, only the women of the Gillman family exclusively have the ability to become giant warriors, allowing each royal generation to be the ruling defenders of the Seven Seas. [[spoiler: The film also explores generational conflict between mothers and daughters among the living Gillman women, how they initially drift apart, but eventually reconcile through common familiar bonds and talking.]]
189* ''WesternAnimation/TheSeaBeast'' has a female character as the main protagonist who befriends the sea beasts and resolves the conflict through nonviolence. Also, the numerous female characters in the story are given unique character designs and treated equally along with their male counterparts.
190* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets'' is not amazingly groundbreaking, and is more focused on its male characters like most films, but notably [[spoiler: TheHero (and his friend)]] are [[DistressedDude saved]] by the [[spoiler: hero's {{Love Interest|s}}, who beats up a large group of big dogs, cats, and even an ''alligator'' for him]]. This is what finally causes him to [[AmazonChaser notice her.]]
191* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' plays with the PrincessClassic, with Fiona initially trying her best to fit into the traditional role of the princess in a story. However, she's happiest when beating up bandits and being crude with her ogre {{Love Interest|s}}. The [[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird third film]] builds heavily on this foundation, as Fiona and her mother rally various fairytale princesses to drop the DistressBall and save the day.
192* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' manages to be this [[DownplayedTrope to an extent.]] The main protagonist is Princess Odette and while she's not an ActionGirl, she is portrayed as strong-willed, intelligent, and courageous. She refuses to go through with an ArrangedMarriage to Prince Derek even though [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage she loves him]] because she thinks he [[LovingAShadow only likes her for her looks,]] saying she needs to know he loves her for herself. After being kidnapped and cursed by Rothbart, who wants to [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe marry her]] to 'legally' take over her kingdom, she [[DefiantCaptive utterly refuses to cooperate.]] [[note]] she is established to be her father's rightful heir [[GenderIsNoObject regardless of the fact she's a woman]], in an aversion of HeirClubForMen [[/note]] Although she needs Derek to break the spell by [[ThePowerOfLove making a vow of true love to her,]] she doesn't sit around waiting for him to arrive; she comes up with a plan to steal one of Rothbart's maps to locate Derek's kingdom and then takes advantage of the fact she turns into a swan to fly off and find him. She's a DamselInDistress in the climax, though not through lack of trying, doing everything she could to warn Derek of Rothbart's plan. Derek also saves her by telling her he truly loves her "for her kindness and courage" as opposed to her physical beauty.
193* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' stars a teenage girl going through a ComingOfAgeStory as she and the other female members of her family can magically turn into giant red pandas. The movie also focuses on her relationship with her mother and deep friendship with her three female best friends. The movie itself can be metaphorical of a girl having her first period, and the movie also brings up menstruation.
194* ''WesternAnimation/WendellAndWild'' has a teenage girl as the protagonist in a horror and demon-oriented story. The story also deals with said protagonist going through a coming of age as she confronts the grief from her DarkAndTroubledPast. The film also features a number of female characters who have equal prominence to their male counterparts.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
198* The ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series is legendary for both its Freudian monsters and female protagonist, Lt. Ellen Ripley. The [[Film/{{Alien}} original film]] was written as a Gender Equality Fantasy, with characters only referred to in the script by their last name or rank so that each role could be cast without preconceptions and thus avoid the standard Horror Movie gender dynamics. This resulted in a male DecoyProtagonist killed early in the film and allowed the creation of one of the most iconic female characters in Science Fiction history. Ripley would go from an ActionSurvivor taking charge in order to escape the titular alien, to a full-blown MamaBear that blasted her way through an alien hive and battles the enormous Alien Queen in PoweredArmor in [[Film/{{Aliens}} the sequel]].
199* ''Film/{{Alice in Wonderland|2010}}'' is a ComingOfAgeStory with a nineteen-year-old girl as TheChosenOne. While it has some {{Anvilicious}} bits (the end of the garden party, anyone?), it's still properly epic.
200* The 1993 remake of ''Film/AttackOfThe50FootWoman.'' In the original, Nancy is an alcoholic harridan who wants her husband "all to herself"; the remake makes her more sympathetic, starting out as an ExtremeDoormat exploited by all the men in her life, then becoming more confident after her transformation into a GiantWoman. Several male characters were {{Gender Flip}}ed, and even the mistress character, who is originally killed by Nancy in the end, is made more sympathetic. Then there's the GainaxEnding: [[spoiler:Nancy and two other giantesses fly off in a spaceship while their husbands undergo therapy]].
201* The ''Alien'' spinoff, ''Film/AVPAlienVsPredator'' honors this tradition of a strong female protagonist, with mountaineer/guide Alexa caught between two of science fiction's most iconic alien threats. She is highly resourceful and fierce enough of a fighter to earn the respect of the Predator warrior she forges an uneasy alliance with. The [[Franchise/AlienVsPredator novels and comics]] the film is loosely based on give us an even greater badass in Machiko, a Security officer who ends up being adopted into a clan of Predators for a time.
202* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' is following in the footsteps of ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', notable not just for its all-female team but also for being a major Hollywood Superhero film written, directed, and produced by women. The story revolves around newly-single Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} teaming up with Characters/BlackCanary, [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]], and [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Renee Montoya]] to protect a teenage girl, [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Cassandra Cain]], from a crime lord. Marketing for the film has focused heavily on the strength and independence of its heroines, as well as the avoidance of exploitative MaleGaze or uncomfortable, fanservice-y costumes.
203* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'' has a main male character but the majority of important roles go to women, verging from queen, scientist, general, and spy. And the male protagonist relies on and respects them for their help and support, a sharp contrast to the antagonist, a violent HeManWomanHater. Wakanda in general is an egalitarian society with plenty of women in leadership. The sequel ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' is an even better example, having the highest female-to-male character ratio out of any MCU film. It focuses on Shuri’s ComingofAgeStory and HerosJourney, with particular emphasis on her relationship with her mother. A large part of the film is about the women of Wakanda protecting Riri Williams, a young African-American genius. In the end, Shuri engineers an alliance between Wakanda and the equally powerful nation of Talokan by defeating a nigh-invulnerable GodEmperor and forcing him to yield to her.
204* One interpretation of ''Film/BloodMachines'' can be seen as a {{Cosmic Horror|Story}} spin on the idea. The VillainProtagonist Vascan is a StrawMisogynist who abuses his female-coded AI, brutalizes an all-female crew, and captures and threatens to rape one of them. [[spoiler:His captive would go on to kill him in a HoneyTrap, takes control of his body through an invasive form of magic that can be construed as a rape metaphor, the AI he abused rebels and evolves into a HumanoidAbomination and the film ends with him becoming an unwilling passenger of a god-like entity that resembles a woman.]]
205* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'', written by a woman and featuring women as the human protagonist and the main villain. The {{Prequel}} focuses heavily on the [[ABoyAndHisX bond]] that develops between [[WrenchWench Charlie]] Watson and the titular Autobot. Frequenting a junkyard to find parts for an old sports car, Charlie becomes fascinated with a broken-down [=VW=] Bug and takes it home to begin fixing it up. The car turns out to be a badly damaged Autobot with a faulty memory core and missing voice components. She befriends and nicknames him Bumblebee, and begins working on repairing the alien as best she can. As the government and a pair of Decepticons close in on them, Charlie and Bumblebee must save Earth from destruction.
206* ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' is a fiercely and unapologetically feminist film, bringing the heroine to the screen in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'''s first film to be centered around a female protagonist. An AmnesiacHero, Vers is a Kree warrior fighting in the galactic war against the shapeshifting Skrulls when she crash-lands on Earth in the 1990s. Forming a partnership with a young Nick Fury, Vers begins to discover clues to her own past as a human fighter pilot named Carol Danvers. The film features several TakeThat moments to common criticisms that women face such as seeming unfriendly for not "smiling enough" or being required to prove themselves to gate-keeping men. In a twist on the classic mythos, [[spoiler: the mysterious woman from Carol's past turns out to have been the original Mar-Vell]] and the final confrontation concludes with [[spoiler: Carol ignoring her former commander's taunts to fight him on ''his'' terms, blasting him into a mountain before stating she doesn't have to prove herself to him]]. The film is a Power Fantasy for women, portraying numerous badass women who are unapologetic in their confidence and ability. It also takes the time to include messages of inspiration for the next generation of girls, encouraging them to pursue their ambitions without compromise.
207* ''Film/TheCraft'' is a supernatural horror / UrbanFantasy film (and precursor to the likes of ''Series/Charmed1998'' and ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'') that revolves around four misfit teenage girls who practice witchcraft as a way of empowering themselves, with their sisterly bond as a coven helping them overcome adversity in the form of bullying, slut-shaming, and other issues. The girls' use of magic and pursuit of knowledge and power is not depicted as being negative in and of itself; it's only when they start abusing their powers and using them to harm people (or each other) that things go south. In the climax, the main protagonist Sarah seeks help and guidance from a wise mother figure, who encourages her to embrace her full potential as a witch in order to stand up for herself and gain better self-esteem and confidence.
208* The 1996 film's sequel, ''Film/TheCraftLegacy'', leans heavily into this, even having the main villain be the embodiment of toxic masculinity, while the girls are very much about women's power.
209* Creator/GuillermoDelToro:
210** Guillermo del Toro's stated intention with ''Film/PacificRim'' was to make a science fiction/action film with a heroine that was an equal partner rather than a {{Love Interest|s}}, [[MsFanservice "Sex Kitten"]], or a DamselInDistress. While Raleigh is the designated hero of the story, the narrative primarily focuses on Mako's HerosJourney and represents her as every bit his equal. Mako has been praised as a non-[[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow stereotypical]] [[DragonLady representation]] of an Asian woman while still acknowledging Japanese [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter morals]]. It tilts the standard roles assigned to a male and female protagonist, with Raleigh acting as the [[TheHeart emotional]] support for mentally-scarred Mako as she comes to grips with her painful past and desire for revenge.
211** Another film by Creator/GuillermoDelToro is ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', a haunting [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice In Wonderland]]-ish fairy tale set against the harsh reality of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. Ofelia, a girl with a vivid imagination and great curiosity, has moved into the countryside with her widowed mother and new [[WickedStepmother stepfather]], the brutal Captain Vidal. There, she discovers a mysterious old labyrinth and encounters a Faun, who reveals to her that she is a lost princess from the Underworld. She is faced with three tests, meant to show whether her time in the human world has diminished her true self or not. Meanwhile, the family's maid, Mercedes, attempts to help the rebels against her employer and protect Ofelia. Melding a dark and nightmarish fantasy world with very real human cruelty, it deals directly with themes of misogyny, marriages of convenience, and societies that value male children over everything else. Ofelia is a brave, intelligent, and strong-willed heroine unwilling to be bound by her cruel step-father, while Mercedes is a woman of incredible courage and conviction who famously gives Captain Vidal a half GlasgowGrin when he threatens to torture her and makes it clear, before [[spoiler: the rebels gun him down, that his son will ''never'' know a thing about him]]. While ambiguous in the film itself, WordOfGod confirms that the supernatural elements of Ofelia's journey are real.
212** Yet another Creator/GuillermoDelToro example is GothicHorror ''Film/CrimsonPeak''. The main character is a SpiritedYoungLady and proto-feminist named Edith Cushing, who is determined to become a published writer regardless of what everyone else thinks, would rather be writing ghost stories than romances, chooses to MarryForLove and sets about investigating the mysteries of [[HauntedHouse Allerdale Hall]] by herself. Edith's {{Love Interest|s}} Thomas Sharpe admires her intelligence and creativity, and in their love scene, he bares a lot more skin than her (which was actually his actor Tom Hiddleston's suggestion). Most of the ghosts turn out to be [[spoiler: Thomas' murdered wives, who are actually [[DarkIsNotEvil just trying to warn Edith]]]]. It's also revealed that the true villain is [[spoiler: Lucille Sharpe, who is quite an intelligent and formidable, though very unhinged, DarkActionGirl who is the real mastermind of the murders; Thomas is largely subservient to her and a victim of DomesticAbuse on her part]]. In the climax, [[spoiler: Edith's other Love Interest Alan comes to save her, but is badly injured, prompting Edith to save [[RescueReversal both him]] [[DamselOutDistress and herself]]]].
213* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' uses the DeconReconSwitch to hang many a lampshade on classic fairy tales, with PrincessClassic Giselle being banished to modern-day New York by her WickedStepmother Narissa. There, she meets jaded divorce lawyer Robert and his daughter, who is thrilled to meet a fairytale princess. Prince Edward follows his betrothed to New York to rescue her, while Giselle and Robert begin to see the positive aspects of the other's worldview as she tries to help him instill some romance into his relationship with his fiancée Nancy. [[spoiler: In the end, Giselle is saved from a poisoned apple by Robert's kiss, and rescues him in turn when Narissa transforms herself into a dragon. They become a couple, and Giselle opens a business making fairytale princess dresses for little girls. Edward elopes with Nancy, having finally found the romance she's wanted. The queen's henchman stays in New York and becomes a successful Self-Help author.]]
214* ''Film/FastColor'': The film centers on three female generations of one family -- Bo, her daughter Ruth, and Ruth's daughter Lila. Because of their superpowers (which are also shown to be exclusively held by females), they're on the run from men who want them for their uses. Further, they're black or mixed race, which is also unusual.
215* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' is a ContinuityReboot of the franchise, starring a {{Gender Flip}}ped cast. The team consists of a group of female scientists (and an amateur historian) who wear practical uniforms and kick plenty of ass while fighting to get the respect they've earned. The filmography of director Creator/PaulFeig itself tends towards the trope in the comedy genre.
216* Creator/MillaJovovich and Creator/AngelinaJolie have established themselves as big-time [[ActionHero Action Heroines]] through these kinds of films. If they star in a fantasy or science fiction film, expect them to be [[OneManArmy One-Woman Armies]]. Creator/MichelleRodriguez and Creator/SummerGlau have also built careers as Action Heroines in the genre(s), to a lesser degree.
217** Jovovich has headlined the ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' as Alice, a former Umbrella agent out to save the world.
218** In ''Film/Ultraviolet2006'', Jovovich stars as a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire-like]] warrior who must protect a mysterious boy from the forces hunting him.
219** Jolie took up the role of AdventurerArchaeologist Lara Croft in the ''[[Film/LaraCroftTombRaider Tomb Raider]]'' films. She's also noted to be the highest-grossing Action Heroine in the business. Likewise, she plays the live-action Maleficent mentioned above
220* ''Film/KillBill'' is a two-part epic and love letter to numerous genres in the process. When an assassin tries to settle down into a normal life, her former comrades interrupt her wedding rehearsal and slaughter those present. She awakens from her coma years later and begins a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against them that spans continents and cinema genres. [[NoNameGiven The Bride]] and the female assassins she faces are all exceptional warriors, engaging in brutal duels to the death and leaving carnage in their wake. The subtle elements of fantasy are borrowed from classic Hong Kong films, with people displaying martial arts that border on the supernatural. Most notably, the HermitGuru was said to be able to use a FingerPokeOfDoom to kill enemies after they took five steps.
221* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is a {{coming of age|Story}} tale, combining the talents of Creator/JimHenson and Creator/GeorgeLucas. Sarah is a SpoiledBrat with a love of fantasy and resents having to deal with her baby half-brother, Toby. One night, when forced to babysit, she [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wishes]] the goblins would take him away.....and gets her wish. The Goblin King challenges her to solve his Labyrinth in 13 hours, or Toby will be transformed into a goblin. She must outwit the mysterious Labyrinth, escape various death traps, and storm the Goblin City to rescue her brother. Along her journey, Sarah must accept that LifeIsntFair, reject the Goblin King's many temptations, and learn to balance childhood dreams with adult responsibility. When offered the chance to [[WeCanRuleTogether rule at his side]], Sarah rejects him by declaring that, [[ArcWords "You have no power over me"]].
222%%* ''Film/EverAfter'' is just a feminist retelling of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}" with shaky nods to French history.
223%%* [[http://www.btchflcks.com/2013/01/no-man-may-have-me-red-sonja-a-feminist-film-in-disguise.html#.XLMmhFQzaUk There's a case to be made]] about ''Film/RedSonja'', the 1985 film adaptation of the eponymous comics.
224* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. The critically acclaimed film takes place in the kind of [[TestosteronePoisoning testosterone-fueled]], [[RatedMForManly hyper-masculine]] AfterTheEnd setting the ''Mad Max'' setting is known for, yes, and ostensibly stars Tom Hardy as the titular 'Mad Max', but the crux of the movie is propelled by Charlize Theron's character, the elite Imperator Furiosa, and her mission to return to the matriarchal home of her childhood, spiriting away five women who have been forced into sexual slavery and baby-production by a brutal warlord in the process. [[http://time.com/3850323/mad-max-fury-road-eve-ensler-feminist/ Many]] [[http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/eve-ensler-says-mad-max-fury-road-is-a-feminist-action-film-plus-watch-30-minute-interview-with-george-miller-20150511 critics]] [[http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/mad-max-fury-road-review/?tu=dd have]] pointed out that the real star of the film is arguably Furiosa, who literally drives the action in a quest for redemption for her past wrong-doings and liberation from the warlord, with Max himself taking the more subdued arc of recovery from trauma and reconnecting to his humanity. A good portion of the movie is devoted to women kicking ass and taking names for their fellow women.
225* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' is a PerspectiveFlip [[TwiceToldTale retelling]] of ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', starring Creator/AngelinaJolie. Drawing comparisons to ''Literature/{{WICKED}}'', it [[AdaptationalHeroism reimagines Maleficent]] as a complex woman who changes from heroic guardian of the Moors to vengeful girl victimized by the [[StrawMisogynist misogynistic]] [[AdaptationalVillainy King Stephan]], and finally into an antihero over the many years the film covers. She serves as an unwitting mother figure to Aurora and helps to mold the princess into a wise and strong-willed young woman. Aurora is notably more proactive in this telling of the story, with far more character development and agency than is normally seen in most versions of Sleeping Beauty. [[spoiler: She is also not woken from her sleep by Prince Philip, who even points out that he doesn't know her well enough to be in love yet. Instead, it is Maleficent who awakens Aurora with a remorseful kiss to the forehead -- having included in her curse that all who met Aurora would come to love her.]] Of course, [[BrokenBase the many changes were not exactly received positively by everyone]], with some claiming that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the film tries too hard to be feminist]] and ultimately comes across as an {{Anvilicious}} fantasy-flavored LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek.
226* ''Film/MirrorMask'', a hauntingly beautiful dark fantasy written by Creator/NeilGaiman. Helena dreams of leaving the circus, but after a fight, her mother falls mysteriously ill. Traveling to a strange and magical world, she encounters many individuals who resemble those she knows in the real world. The White Queen (resembling her mother) has fallen ill after the Dark Princess (resembling Helena) stole her Charm and without it, the world is dying. Helena undertakes a quest to save the world and her mother, venturing to the Darklands to confront the Dark Queen (again, her mother). A surreal coming-of-age tale, it remains ambiguous whether it was AllJustADream or [[OrWasItADream not]].
227* ''Film/{{The Princess|2022}}'': The princess refuses to comply with feminine norms, secretly training herself to fight, and then rejects a marriage to which she didn't consent to. After this, she has to fight off her would-be husband who's taken over and won't accept "no" for an answer (which is putting it mildly). She's rewarded finally by [[spoiler:her father admitting she proved him wrong, accepting her as a warrior woman and making her his heir, while also saying in the future all princesses of the realm will be allowed to make these choices]].
228* [[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/revenge_2018 General consensus]] about ''Film/Revenge2017'' is that it gives its exploitation genre a decidedly feminist spin, with some critics calling it "the bloodiest, most violent contribution to the [=#MeToo=] movement". Case in point: this is one of the very few movies where the male main character is shown completely naked from the front while the female lead is only ever seen very briefly topless.
229* ''Film/{{Scream}}'' turns the genre's more sexist conventions on its head. Notably two of the movie's survivors are female, both of whom outwit the killer at several turns (especially in the sequels too).
230%%* The ''Film/LegendOfTheRedReaper'' stories have elements of this and are combined with SwordAndSorcery, a genre not typically known for feminism.
231* ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' features a more proactive titular princess, who breaks out of her [[GirlInTheTower tower prison]] herself and flees into the forest where no one but the Huntsman will dare to venture. With his teaching, she develops into a LadyOfWar and leads an army to reclaim her throne by force, ultimately taking down the Queen on her own.
232* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
233** ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' was a ''massive'' leap forward for female characters not just in ''Franchise/StarWars'', but the science fiction and action film genres in general, arguably to the degree that ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' played in cinema history. The film stars a woman named Rey who is drawn into the galactic war between the Resistance and [[TheRemnant the First Order]] alongside {{Deuteragonist}} Finn, and in short order proves herself to be smart, badass, and independent. But when she [[spoiler:runs across Luke Skywalker's lightsaber she discovers that she is in fact extremely gifted in the Force and a nascent Jedi-to-be]]. Princess Leia is now ''General'' Leia and leads the Resistance military. There's a female stormtrooper captain named Phasma who is set up to basically be the next Boba Fett (although she ends up being a bit of a FauxActionGirl until [[Film/TheLastJedi the sequel]]), in addition to random female stormtroopers (pay attention to some of their voices next time you watch the movie) as well as female First Order officers. Tons of women are seen as being part of the Resistance military, including a female X-Wing pilot who is featured quite prominently in the final battle. There's also Maz Kanata, a mysterious non-human woman who is sensitive to the Force and [[spoiler:urges Rey towards her destiny as a Jedi]]. As director Creator/JJAbrams has pointed out, the Force belongs to ''everyone'', not just dudes.
234** Prior to the Sequel Trilogy, ''Star Wars'' was always reasonably feminist for its time (especially considering the [[Film/ANewHope first film]] was released in 1977), though more {{downplayed|trope}}. Princess Leia is the ''only'' major female character in the original trilogy, but she is a confident, quick-witted, and proactive badass; she's not just a princess but an ambassador, senator, Rebel agent, and soldier, and is often considered a feminist icon. There is some controversy over the '[[MadeASlave Slave Leia]]' [[GoGoEnslavement outfit]] in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', but as many fans and Creator/CarrieFisher herself pointed out, Leia eventually [[DamselOutOfDistress strangles to death the creep who forced her into the outfit with her own chains, without help from the men.]] Also, although she [[MinorMajorCharacter doesn’t have a very large role]] in the films, it's revealed that one of the [[RebelLeader main leaders of the rebellion]] is a woman named Mon Mothma.
235** In the Prequel Trilogy, Padmé Amidala is an intelligent and charismatic ActionPolitician who has been involved in politics since her preteens and fights for liberty and champions diplomacy. Particularly in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', she has a team of loyal handmaidens who also serve as bodyguards/decoys and [[AmazonBrigade fight at her side.]] She is unfortunately DemotedToSatelliteLoveInterest in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', although given some of George Lucas' unused story ideas for the film and the deleted (but canonical) scenes of her helping found the future Rebel Alliance, this wasn't his intention (not to mention it would've been difficult to have her be involved in big action scenes as she's supposed to be eight-to-nine months pregnant). There are also lots of [[GenderIsNoObject female Jedi and politicians]] as minor or background characters and one of Padmé's would-be assassins is a shapeshifting woman named Zam Wesell. Padmé's home planet of Naboo frequently [[ElectiveMonarchy elects]] teenage girls and women as queens and expanded material confirms that Leia's adoptive mother Breha Organa rules Alderaan in her own right (Senator Bail Organa is her husband, but doesn't have a royal title).
236** And this is without mentioning the Expanded Universe and animated series (both ''Legends'' and Canon) which is full of strong, powerful, and proactive female characters, such as Mara Jade, Ahsoka Tano, Asajj Ventress, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, etc. ''The Force Awakens'' is, however, significant in being the first theatrical ''Star Wars'' film to have a badass woman as ''the'' central protagonist, rather than a supporting protagonist.
237** That being said, ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' has received controversy for the way it handles the female characters; Rey is revealed to have inherited her power from a male relative which some have argued overshadows Rey herself (''Film/TheLastJedi'' strongly suggested she was RandomlyGifted) and she ends up kissing a man who tortured and stalked her. Rose Tico - the first female Asian lead in the movies - is DemotedToExtra (after the actress was harassed online with racist and sexist comments) and newcomers Zorii Bliss and Jannah are largely defined by their relationships with Poe and Finn. In spite of this, Rey is still firmly the main hero of the story.
238* Japanese [[JapaneseDelinquents Sukeban]] and Female {{Yakuza}} B-movies of the late '60s and early '70s, despite being classified as {{Exploitation Film}}s and many of them including sexual violence, showed women outwitting and defeating the Yakuza who, despite being criminals, were still part of institutionalised patriarchy.
239* ''Film/SuckerPunch'' has a group of women who are in a mental hospital treated like sex slaves by the corrupt orderlies. They band together to find a way to escape their situation, using their own sexuality as a weapon. Overall the story attempts to deconstruct the MaleGaze by showing the nasty effect it can have on the girls. There's also a few literal examples - as there are many fantasy sequences imagined by the protagonist where she and her friends become an AmazonBrigade to achieve their goals. Reaction to the film was very divisive, but it does have a small fanbase of feminists who believe in its message.
240* ''Film/TheThing2011'', a {{Prequel}} of the original film. The film stars Kate Lloyd, a level-headed and [[ActionSurvivor capable]] scientist brought in to examine the titular creature when it is discovered frozen in the ice. According to the creators, Kate was intended as a homage to Lt. Ripley, the heroine of ''Franchise/{{Alien}}''.
241* ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' stars the aforementioned comic book superhero of the same name and is about her journey from the LadyLand of Themyscira into Man's World at the height of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI where she fights to end one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. True to the comics, Wonder Woman embodies a number of positive, strong feminine ideals such as empathy, love, and truth while also being a super strong demigoddess capable of kickings ''tons'' of ass. In a meta sense, the film is also the first tent pole superhero film to be [[Creator/PattyJenkins directed by a woman]] and the first theatrical comic book adaptation centered around a female lead ''ever'' to receive critical acclaim and commercial success.
242* The ''Film/{{Underworld|2003}}'' film series stars Creator/KateBeckinsale as Selene, a [[DarkActionGirl powerful vampire warrior]] who spends most of her time kicking vampire and werewolf butt with guns, swords, {{improvised weapon}}s or occasionally just her bare hands. She rarely needs to be rescued and as of ''Underworld: Blood Wars'' has become [[spoiler: one of the three Elders, the [[VampireMonarch rulers of the vampires]]]].
243[[/folder]]
244
245[[folder:Literature]]
246%%
247%%Please put Literature examples in chronological order if possible
248%%
249* ''Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves'' is perhaps one of the earliest examples of such a tale. While the story is named for the titular Ali Baba, he is a DecoyProtagonist who innocently goes through the story being threatened by the Thieves. The true hero of the story is Morgiana, the clever slave girl who systematically outwits and kills the thieves to protect her master. At the finale of the story, she is granted her freedom and marries Ali Baba's son -- a Gender Inversion of the StandardHeroReward.
250* Before either feminism or fantasy, ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' (Books 1, 3, and 4 [[note]] other books had less flattering portrayals of women [[/note]]) featured some pretty tough female knights. What else would you expect from an epic dedicated to UsefulNotes/ElizabethI?
251* In Creator/LFrankBaum's ''Literature/LandOfOz'' books (1900 onward), the Land of Oz was founded by a woman (Lurline) and ruled by four women (the Witches) up until the end of ''Literature/TheMarvelousLandOfOz''. (It's pretty clear the Wizard and the Scarecrow only ran the Emerald City, and nominally at that.) In that book, one of the women (Glinda) works with another woman (Mombi) to restore the rightful ruler of the land of Oz. Guess who ''that'' is? Yep, a woman (Ozma). Probably not coincidentally, Baum's mother-in-law was Matilda Gage, one of the greats of the First Wave of Feminism (he supported it, writing in favor of women's suffrage).
252%%* The ''Literature/JirelOfJoiry'' stories by C.L. Moore (C.L. stands for Catherine Lucille), published between the years 1934 and 1939. The title character was the first ever heroine in the HeroicFantasy genre.
253* Creator/RobertEHoward's own Dark Agnes de Chastillon may have been written earlier,[[note]]The first recorded mention of Dark Agnes is when Howard sent a copy of his first Agnes story, "Sword Woman", to Moore after having read her first Jirel story in Weird Tales, so it is unclear if he wrote Sword Woman after having read Moore's story or if he had written it beforehand and, failing to get it published, sent it to Moore after reading her Jirel yarn.[[/note]] although her stories were only published long after Howard's death. Compared to Jirel, it is lighter on the fantasy (fantastical elements only appeared in the unfinished third and last story), but MUCH heavier on the feminism. To quote Jessica Amanda Salmonson: "Had a woman written of Agnes in a similar manner, the author would have been charged with man-hating, frigidity, being a castrating bitch, a crazy radical."
254--> "Ever the man in men! Let a woman know her place: let her milk and spin and sew and bake and bear children, not look beyond her threshold or the command of her lord and master! Bah! I spit on you all! There is no man alive who can face me with weapons and live, and before I die, I'll prove it to the world. Women! Cows! Slaves! Whimpering, cringing serfs, crouching to blows, avenging themselves by -- taking their own lives, as my sister urged me to do. Ha! You deny me a place among men? By God, I'll live as I please and die as God wills, but if I'm not fit to be a man's comrade, at least I'll be no man's mistress. So go ye to hell, and may the devil tear out your heart!"
255* The ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' books were written to challenge the portrayals of women in Sci-Fi in the '60s and '70s. However, they are now subject to ValuesDissonance.
256%%* Joanna Russ' ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfAlyx'', a pioneering heroic fantasy with a woman hero.
257* Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin wrote ''Literature/TheLeftHandOfDarkness'' to challenge gender assumptions in science fiction but later decided she hadn't gone far enough, especially since she used the default pronoun "he" for her genderless characters.[[note]]The first short story set on Gethen, the planet of ''The Left Hand of Darkness'', was also written using masculine pronouns, but when it was republished several years later, she changed to feminine pronouns, but left masculine titles such as "king". In the much later Gethen story "Coming of Age in Karhide", feminine pronouns are used, as well as "mother" and "grandmother" to refer to the protagonists' parent and grandparent.[[/note]] In the 1990s, she began a feminist deconstruction of her own earlier ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' fantasy series. Many of her other works are relevant to this trope too.
258* Creator/MarionZimmerBradley (whose most famous feminist book, ''Literature/TheMistsOfAvalon'', doesn't qualify for this trope because its main character is pretty much a victim of fate rather than a hero) wrote a number of women heroes in her Literature/{{Darkover}} books and others. For example, in ''Hawkmistress!'' Romilly has the gift of merging minds with animals, runs away from her home to escape marriage, aids an heir to the throne, and participates in military campaigns.
259* The ''Sword and Sorceress'' anthology series, started by Marion Zimmer Bradley and continued by other editors after her death, is specifically dedicated to women heroes in sword-and-sorcery stories.
260* A more light-hearted counterpart to ''Sword and Sorceress'' was the ''Literature/ChicksInChainmail'' anthology series (edited by Creator/EstherFriesner, who also includes {{Action Girl}}s in her own writings).
261* Creator/MercedesLackey's books feature these themes, some more than others. For example, she created the magical blade "Need", which helps women in need (hence the name).
262%%* Another 1970s heroic fantasy and science fiction author whose works featured strong women was Elizabeth A. Lynn.
263* Creator/AngelaCarter wrote fairy tale revisions, collected in ''Literature/TheBloodyChamber'', and freewheeling fantastic stories with women who like men but don’t really need them, such as ''Literature/NightsAtTheCircus''.
264* Jessica Amanda Salmonson's ''Literature/TomoeGozenSaga'', starring the eponymous legendary lady samurai. The first book was published in 1981.
265%%* In the 1980s, P. C. Hodgell created the Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath centered on dancer/fighter Jame.
266%%* The [[Literature/TheDuelOfSorceryTrilogy Duel of Sorcery Trilogy]], to at least some degree.
267* Creator/StephenRDonaldson meets the definition of writing this (and also to some extent seem to see himself as writing this), but his credentials are still hotly debated. On the plus side: plenty of strong female characters in prominent positions in his stories, which generally take place in settings where no one thinks to question their right to take point and make the important decisions (and in settings where that is not the case, such as ''Daughter of Regals'' and ''Literature/MordantsNeed'', the emphasis is usually on a heroine overcoming her sexist surroundings). On the other hand: ''massive'' use of RapeAsDrama, as well as the controversial (especially in feminist circles) belief that rape, while certainly [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil worse than just about everything else]], is not necessarily a MoralEventHorizon - while it is very difficult for a rapist to redeem himself in Donaldson's stories, it ''is'' possible and Donaldson's [[Literature/TheGapCycle two longest and]] [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant most well-known]] series have main protagonists who commit rape in the first book but change their ways and become (at least partly) forgiven by the last one.
268* ''Literature/JustElla'' continues the story after Ella's engagement to Prince Charming and gives Ella agency while showing the royal family to be brainless and shallow and her wanting to leave the position she's been forced into.
269* ''Literature/ChildrenOfMotherEarth'' features a GreenAesop, it is a futuristic fantasy that is located in Greenland, which, due to global warming, is ''actually'' green (the rest of the world has become a barren wasteland). The changes made to society to make the lifestyle more sustainable include the removal of patriarchy. Men are not allowed to carry weapons so that they can't attempt to oppress women once again, but in all other respects, society is equal (and men can get special permission to carry weapons if they really need to).
270%%* The 1986 fairy tale anthology ''Don't Bet on the Prince''.
271* ''Literature/{{Dreamsnake}}'' (a post-apocalyptic story in which the protagonist's talent is healing, not fighting, but she's definitely the active center of the story), and other books by Creator/VondaNMcIntyre. Men and women are completely equal, non-nuclear families are normalized, and [[MasterOfYourDomain biocontrol]] has given everyone complete sexual and reproductive freedom and thus removed most taboos surrounding sex.
272* ''Literature/TheTrueGame'' series by Creator/SheriSTepper; in this setting, where magic combines with technology, there are many strong women characters, and the second and third parts are told from women’s point of view. Tepper writes more science fiction than fantasy but always focusing on women.
273* Creator/TerryPratchett, the creator of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', has stated that he prefers to write strong female characters (and at one point, that he had trouble writing women who ''weren't''; the closest he could get being BewareTheNiceOnes). A few of the books in the series have particularly feminist themes.
274** ''Literature/EqualRites'' is about a young woman, Eskarina Smith, who was inadvertently imbued with wizard ability, despite the commonly held belief that wizards are exclusively men, and witches are exclusively female, and the ensuing attempts to teach her witchcraft instead or get her accepted into wizarding school.
275** ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' is about the role of women in war and a different take on SweetPollyOliver.
276** The Tiffany Aching books, about a young girl growing up to be a formidable witch, also have such themes.
277* The ''Dragonsword'' trilogy (where a American woman from the 1980s is taken to another world and becomes a warrior) and other books by Gael Baudino.
278* The works of Creator/RobinMcKinley, including such fairy tale retellings as ''Literature/{{Deerskin}}'' and ''[[Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast Beauty]]'', and secondary world fantasy ''Literature/TheBlueSword'' and its sequels.
279* ''Literature/LostGirls'' (a revisionist take on Peter Pan), ''[[Literature/GreatAltaSaga The Books of Great Alta]]'' (a society with women warriors), and many other works by Creator/JaneYolen.
280* Anything by Creator/TamoraPierce, who, with one exception so far, has written exclusively about female main characters. In the Literature/CircleOfMagic, the genders seem to be mostly equal in the main setting, Emelan - when protagonists visit places where they aren't, they comment in the narration - whereas in the Literature/TortallUniverse, several of the stories exist to point out gender (and class) inequalities.
281* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' series varies from book to book. ''Dreams of Steel'' and ''Water Sleeps'' both have a female protagonist, from whose perspective we see most of the events, and who shows strength of character, a lot of competence, military skill, and the capability to hold her own in a deeply sexist society; and they aren't the only competent female characters in those books. Croaker's books seem to flip-flop on this - the first four books have his relationship with the female EvilOverlord as an important element, but her portrayal in ''The Black Company'' and ''The White Rose'' is much more rounded than in ''Shadows Linger'' and ''Shadow Games'' (in which she is either not present most of the time or [[spoiler: still hasn't pulled herself back together after being depowered]]). The Murgen books (''Bleak Seasons'' and ''She Is the Darkness''), ''The Silver Spike'' and ''Soldiers Live'' seem to be the least feminist-friendly: though a fair number of competent women appear in various capacities, they're just given much less focus than in other books of the series.
282* Various series by Creator/ElizabethMoon, such as ''Literature/TheDeedOfPaksenarrion'' (heroic fantasy, starring the female paladin Paksenarrion), and ''Literature/FamiliasRegnant'' and ''Literature/VattasWar'' (space opera with {{Action Hero}}ines).
283%%* ''The Practical Princess and Other Liberating Fairy Tales'' by Jay Williams.
284* Creator/MelanieRawn tackles this head-on in her ''Exiles'' series, set in a matriarchal society where women are the dominant gender — the rulers, leaders, the soldiers. Men are to be cosseted and cared for, submissive to their wives, and so forth.
285* The first of Creator/MelisaMichaels' ''Skyrider'' novels, ''Skirmish'', starred a two-fisted space pilot. (Republished by a house that specializes in [=FemLit=])
286* In the first four books of Katharine Kerr's ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' series, the main female lead is quite capable of handling herself in combat and the breaking of social expectations is regularly noted. In the later books, the long-term viewpoint character and most powerful wizard also is female.
287* Emma Bull's books usually have strong female protagonists (e.g. rock musician Eddi [=McCandry=] in ''Literature/WarForTheOaks'').
288* ''Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles'', a ScienceFantasy series whose protagonist Elspeth is an ActionHero, and there are plenty of others in the series. The same author also wrote Literature/TheLegendsongSaga, a TrappedInAnotherWorld tale.
289* The ''Literature/GirlsToTheRescue'' series contains a number of fantasy stories (some original, some adaptations of folktales) centered around a female heroine who may do things such as outfox monsters or unpleasant people, win jousts, and other things of similar sorts.
290* Creator/CJCherryh created many strong female characters: Morgaine, a female swordswoman (''Literature/MorgaineCycle''), Signy Mallory (''Literature/DownbelowStation''), Ariane Emory I/II (''Literature/{{Cyteen}}''), Raen (''Literature/SerpentsReach''), Elai and Elizabeth (''Literature/FortyThousandInGehenna'') etc.
291* ''Literature/BlackTrillium'', co-written by Creator/MarionZimmerBradley, Creator/AndreNorton, and Creator/JulianMay, has three young girls delve into the secrets of ancient magic and liberate their kingdom from an invading army pretty much all by themselves.
292* ''[[Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles The Enchanted Forest Chronicles]]''. The heroine, Cimorene, is able to solve just about any problem that comes her way through plain common sense, bravery, and ingenuity. Kazul is shown to be pretty open-minded by dragon standards (most dragons don't consider confiding political and social issues to their princesses, and certainly don't take the princesses seriously), which means that she and Cimorene are often able to pool their resources and get quite a lot done. Morwen the witch is shown to be very powerful and quite willing to forgo "traditional" witch practices (wearing pointed black hats, only keeping black cats, etc.) just because they're impractical. While many of the princesses are shown to be feather-headed, it's agreed that they're pretty much that way because of impractical upbringings and not because the women themselves are naturally stupid. Even in the final book, when the protagonist is Cimorene's son, Daystar, he's only able to get as far as he does thanks to the extensive education his mother gave him.
293* Creator/DavidWeber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, essentially Literature/HoratioHornblower [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]] Not only does the series follow GenderIsNoObject (except on the planet Grayson, which undergoes its own social development throughout the books), but roughly half the main characters are female, and not all of them are military; most of them are, as you'd expect from a MilitaryScienceFiction series, but diplomats, doctors, politicians, queens, and presidents all get their time in the spotlight.
294* Just like [[Literature/LandOfOz the original books]], ''Literature/TheWickedYears'' has a large number of female figures in power. For example, the role of Eminent Thropp (essentially the ruler of Munchkinland) is passed down matrilineally, Glinda is one of the most powerful people in Oz, Dorothy saved Oz from the Wicked Witches, and Ozma is eventually reinstated as queen.
295* ''Nadya: The Wolf Chronicles'' by Pat Murphy: a fiercely independent female werewolf roams the Old West. Almost anything Pat Murphy wrote would qualify for this trope.
296%%* ''Literature/TheSevenwatersTrilogy'' (dealings between human women and fairies in ancient Ireland) by Juliet Marillier.
297%%* ''Kissing the Witch'', a series of retold fairy tales by Emma Donoghue.
298* Gwyneth Jones has written fantasy and science fiction in which women play prominent roles; for example, in her ''Bold as Love'' cycle, Fiorinda (a modern analogue of Queen Guinevere) has just as decisive a role in the action as the other two protagonists.
299%%* ''Literature/AshASecretHistory'', the ''Literature/WhiteCrow'' books, and others by Creator/MaryGentle.
300* The ''Wolf Walker'' series by Tara K. Harper. A mixture of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, it involves women who share a telepathic bond with wolves -- primarily focused on Dion, a healer and scout. Other novels focus on her daughter, Nori or NaiveNewcomer Rezsia.
301* In Creator/LEModesittJr's ''Spellsong Cycle,'' a modern music professor becomes regent of a magic kingdom and one of the most powerful sorcerers in that world.
302* ''The Wood Wife'' by Terri Windling, who, as an editor, is one of the strongest proponents of retold fairy tales; the book centers on a woman who becomes involved with spirits in the southwestern desert.
303* ''Even the Stones'' by Marie Jakober; the protagonist is a queen who must hold on to her throne in spite of assaults from all sides.
304%%* Creator/NahokoUehashi:
305%%** ''Literature/Moribito''
306%%** ''Literature/TheBeastPlayer''
307* ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'' by Creator/GailCarsonLevine is a retelling of Cinderella where Ella takes charge of her own destiny and in the context of the [[BlessedWithSuck "blessing"]] of absolute obedience, no less.
308* Levine's other book, ''Literature/TheTwoPrincessesOfBamarre'', is also very much this. The protagonists are the sisters Princess Addie and Princess Meryl. Meryl dreams of going out adventuring [[spoiler:and ends up turning into a fairy, which means she will get to spend her new immortal life fighting and protecting her land from monsters]]. Addie starts off being easily frightened by her own shadow, but when she's required to do so, she fights her fears and travels the land to save her sister from an illness, along the way facing numerous monsters and outwitting a dragon. The king, the girls' father, is shown to be an indecisive and ineffectual ruler, and the book ends with the implication that Addie will become a far better ruler ([[spoiler:or at least will be able to rid the land of the monsters in it]]). The main male character and Addie's {{Love Interest|s}}, Rhys, helps out when he can, but it's clear that Addie is the heroine of the tale.
309* The novels and stories of Nalo Hopkinson. In ''Literature/MidnightRobber'', a girl grows up on a distant planet and, among other adventures, becomes a "Robber Queen" righting wrongs; in ''Literature/BrownGirlInTheRing'', the main character Ti-Jeanne fights against gangsters and crooked politicians in a future Toronto.
310* The ''Literature/ElementalLogic'' series (starring earth witch Karis G'deon, fire witch Zanja na'Tarwein, and many other important female characters) and Children of Triad series by Laurie J. Marks.
311* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': The series features two female leads who have to deal with the unrealistic expectations forced upon them by their friends, family, and peers. Most of the characters, both named and not, are women or girls, most of whom can dish out punishment as good as or better than their male counterparts. There's also no such thing as homophobia- there's a lot of queer characters, some of whom are married, and no one suggests that their love is unnatural.
312%%* The [[Literature/TheOtherworld Women of the Otherworld]] series, contemporary fantasy that is particularly strong in feminism, by Kelley Armstrong.
313* ''Literature/TheSight'' by David-Clement Davies. Might be pushing it a bit since the novel is about wolves, but the main character, the main antagonist, and the secondary antagonist are all females. There are also many female supporting characters.
314* The Literature/BooksOfPellinor: main character Maerad is a Bard who can change Nature as well as a swordswoman warrior
315* The Literature/OneRoseTrilogy by Gail Dayton: a warrior woman in a matriarchal society.
316%%* Although written by a man ''Literature/{{Phenomena}}'' has two heroes, the twins Alk and Ilke, a boy and a girl. Ilke is the strongest of the two, [[SlaveLiberation frees more people]], and is even one of the most beloved characters in the books. She has no real ImpliedLoveInterest, but according to WordOfGod will she only see a person as strong as herself worthy. Millian is also a strong female character, who is never in need of saving.
317* ''Literature/RangersAtRoadsend'' and the other volumes of the Celaeno series by Jane Fletcher feature lots of ass-kicking women who are members of the military elite unit, the Rangers, and a society completely free of sexism.
318* ''Sappho's Leap'' by Creator/EricaJong. It's basically ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' told with a female protagonist (the poet Sappho).
319* The Literature/GodspeakerTrilogy, centering on two women who fight their way from slavery to queendom (or empressdom).
320* ''Literature/TheOrphansTales'' by Creator/CatherynneMValente; many, many characters, probably more of them female than male, definitely individual and active.
321* Nihal, the main heroine of the Literature/ChroniclesOfTheEmergedWorld, is a badass Half-elf Dragon Rider.
322* In general, most of Creator/NnediOkorafor's works, from her first novel (''Zahrah the Windseeker'') onward, have women with magical powers who have to overcome sexism (and sometimes racism as well).
323* Creator/RhiannonFrater has made a living trying to alter the horror landscape to have room for these. ''Literature/AsTheWorldDies'' (two women surviving a ZombieApocalypse and running a fort) and ''Literature/PrettyWhenSheDies'' (a woman, having become a vampire, battles an ancient evil) are some of the works she's created in its pursuit.
324* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' and the resulting films based on it. Taking place AfterTheEnd, Katniss Everdeen finds herself thrust into political plots and revolution after volunteering as a Tribute to save her younger sister. Katniss is an intelligent, strong-willed, and courageous woman who secretly hunts to provide for her poor family, a skill set that allows her to become a serious contender in the Hunger Games. Her victory in the first Games leads her to become a symbol of rebellion, igniting a revolution that she is quickly swept up into. One of her [[BettyAndVeronica potential]] love interests is notably more gentle and artistic compared to Katniss, who has to deal with the dark side of fame -- being forced into the box of the beautiful woman in love, as opposed to her true self.
325* Creator/JimCHines' ''Literature/ThePrincessSeries'' stars Snow White, the Sleeping Beauty (but don't call her that), and Cinderella as far-from-passive heroes.
326* The main character of ''The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms'', the first volume of the Literature/InheritanceTrilogy, is Yeine, who comes to the imperial center as a potential candidate for the throne, participates in intrigues in order to save her home country, deals with gods, and never backs down. The second volume of the trilogy is again centered on a woman, but she's a bit less in control of events.
327* ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'' places well-known fairy tales such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood in a dystopian sci-fi setting, with the heroines of each tale teaming up to defeat a wicked Queen.
328* ''Literature/ThreePartsDead'' by Creator/MaxGladstone, whose main character, Tara, is a necromancer tasked with bringing a god back to life. This is the first volume of the Literature/CraftSequence, some of whose other volumes have female protagonists also.
329* A little over half of the protagonists in ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' are female. Pyrrhia is ruled by queens and in other jobs, females are just as common as males, and there are plenty of powerful female characters on all factions.
330* Creator/AnnLeckie has written several of these:
331** The Radchaai in the ''Literature/ImperialRadch'' trilogy (''Ancillary Justice'', ''Mercy'' and ''Sword'') do not see gender and thus, every character in the series is referred to with the pronoun "she" thanks to TranslationConvention. The protagonist is a several thousand-year-old warship AI in a female WetwareBody.
332** ''Literature/{{Provenance}}'' is set in the same universe as the ''Imperial Radch'' in a society that recognizes three genders (man, woman, and neman), which children choose from during their coming-of-age ceremony. Some in their society never choose at all. The protagonist is also a young woman who has recently come of age.
333** ''Literature/TheRavenTower'': The protagonist is a transman in a society that seems to treat such things as unusual but not taboo or unheard of.
334* In the ''Literature/{{Alpennia}}'' series by Heather Rose Jones, set in a Ruritanian country, the main cast is all women: in the first book, we are introduced to a swordswoman who is surrounded by political intrigue, who needs to sort out her role, and another woman who is interested in recovering and improving old magical rituals; in the second volume, they are joined by an experimental alchemist and a society hostess and all four of them foil a plot against Alpennia; by the third volume, it's clear that the political intrigue has implications beyond the kingdom.
335* All novels by Creator/FrancesHardinge feature very strong and non-stereotypical female protagonists (except ''Verdigris Deep'', and even that one has a lot of important female characters), but ''The Lie Tree'' is a pure work of feminist fantasy, as it explores the image of women in the Victorian society, concepts like learned helplessness and masochism and how the enormous contribution that the woman made to both that society and the natural science has gone most unnoticed until recently - all through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl against a backdrop of a murder mystery with a shade of supernatural.
336* ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' is a story about a woman who runs a military company made solely of womyn, who [[DeadlyEuphemism "erase"]] people for a living and give psychotherapy to civilian women to convince them to spy and kill for said womyn. Not to mention that the entire universe of the story is based on a neurotechnological boom caused by the discovery of how the brain produces consciousness, the greatest discovery of all time, also done by a woman.
337* ''Literature/TheRadiantDawn'' plays this trope straight. Dawn, the main protagonist, is a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] and is not shown to have physical weaknesses, at least once she ascends. Her male partner takes a supporting role as a forklift operator who also functions as a warrior. Nadia and Laina also take major roles as the helicopter pilot and mythology expert respectively. On the side of the antagonists, Stacie is shown to be the more mature of the pair and is more intelligent than Aaron, who is boyish and impulsive.
338* ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' features a female protagonist called Tris who, upon discovering that she is a Divergent (and therefore under risk of being disposed of by her dystopian government), puts herself through TrainingFromHell. She and her eventual boyfriend Four become a BattleCouple in the process. Two of the faction leaders are also women, and Abnegation features Tris' mother in a very prominent position (and she goes MamaBear to rescue her from Dauntless soldiers at the end of the first film). There are numerous {{Action Girl}}s such as Christina and Tori in the supporting cast.
339* Creator/CharlesStross writes science fiction that usually centers around a female protagonist (human or humanoid android), or if there's a male and female hero team, it will be a NonActionGuy and an ActionHeroine - even if the latter sometimes got her fighting skills through rather contrived circumstances (e.g. a historical reenactment/fencing hobby). Of particular interest with regards to feminist themes are the Freyaverse novels ''Literature/SaturnsChildren'' and ''Literature/NeptunesBrood'', the aborted "trilogy" ''Literature/HaltingState'' and ''Literature/Rule34'' (lesbian police officer protagonist), and ''Literature/TheMerchantPrincesSeries''.
340%%* Numerous UrbanFantasy series star ass-kicking women as their main character. Here are just a few:
341%%** The Black Sun's Daughter series by M.L.N. Hanover
342%%** The Literature/CassandraPalmer series by Karen Chance
343%%** The Greywalker series by Kat Richardson
344%%** The Literature/KateDaniels series by Ilona Andrews
345%%** Carrie Vaughn's Literature/KittyNorville series
346%%** The Literature/MercyThompson series by Creator/PatriciaBriggs
347* The protagonist of ''Literature/Birthright2017'', Sabrina Bunahr, is a princess whose claim to the throne is never questioned, and who very quickly decides to solve her own problems rather than wait around for rescue. The dragons of the setting may also be a matriarchal society, as all of the leaders seen so far have been female.
348* Literature/{{Maresi}} and its sequels, with the emphasis on the feminist over the fantasy. It centers around the Red Abbey, a haven from patriarchal oppression where women and girls go to be safe and learn, and part of the curriculum is magic both individually and as a whole. The first book details the Abbey women saving a girl from an honor killing, while the second has seven abused wives/servants of an EvilVizier working together to escape and strip him of his magical power.
349%%* ''Literature/TheWrestlingPrincessAndOtherStories'' by Judy Corbalis.
350* Creator/DianeDuane's ''Literature/{{Rihannsu}}'' sequence pairs [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James T. Kirk]] with a Romulan (Rihan) {{deuteragonist}}, a ''khre'riov''[[note]]"commander general", equivalent to a commodore or rear admiral[[/note]] named Ael t'Rllailleiu. The books' vision of Romulan culture is slightly matriarchal (there are more women than men in the Grand Fleet and many political leaders are female), and while there is some slight ShipTease between Ael and Kirk, she is written as his equal and a fellow commander rather than another GirlOfTheWeek. She's also a mother and a widow, and tends to be [[AFatherToHisMen A Mother to Her Men]] as well. The novels also give supporting roles to ''Enterprise'' communications officer Nyota Uhura and one of her female subordinates (their expertise in the Rihan {{conlang}} is vital) and to Terise [=Haleakala-LoBrutto=], a Federation anthropologist in {{deep cover|Agent}} on Romulus.
351* ''Literature/Aeon14'' is a SpaceOpera SharedUniverse packed full of badass women (and female-presenting {{Artificial Intelligence}}s), most good, some bad, while most of the ''really'' nasty villains are men. This is not to the exclusion of the softer aspects of femininity: main protagonist Tanis Richards becomes a mom early in the ''Orion War'' series, while also acting as the governor of her colony (while remaining a FourStarBadass).
352* ''Literature/TheImmortalJourney'' takes place after a ZombieApocalypse in the future, where the few remaining humans can't afford to be weak-willed, no matter their gender. The protagonist is female, but even outside of her none of the women in this story are to be trifled with. Daisy the instructor is stated to be the main reason Emily's team hasn't gone soft, [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Carol]] regularly rebuffs the man she bodyguards, her maker Nicole is an extremely gifted WrenchWench (while Carol's impossibly advanced AI was created by another woman), and the leader of the Manhattan vampires (Manhattan being one of the last bastions of life on Earth) is also female.
353* Despite appearing to be just another ParanormalRomance series on the surface, ''Literature/NightWorld'' still manages to be this. All nine books (and the unreleased tenth book too) have female protagonists and all of them generally manage to be intelligent, strong-minded, proactive, and heroic in their own way, with some of them being straight-up {{Action Girl}}s. And this isn't even counting all the secondary or supporting female characters. Many of the girls successfully protect themselves or rescue their male love interests, even when he's a supernatural being and she’s 'just' a human. Although romance is always central to the plots, the female protagonists are also not defined solely by their romantic relationships, usually having goals and interests outside this too. Witches are explicitly matriarchal and matrilineal while not looking down on men, and are generally portrayed as being more reasonable and sympathetic than other factions of Night People – the explicitly patriarchal and outright misogynistic Redferns come across as a lot more villainous. Women are also responsible for or directly involved in many of the major events of the series, including the war with the dragons, the creation of the vampire species, the alliance that formed the basis of the Night World, and the reformation of [[LaResistance Circle Daybreak]] among many others. Some of the books also touch on themes of female empowerment and inequality (mostly ''Daughters of Darkness'', ''Spellbinder'' and ''Dark Angel''); ''The Chosen'' also stands out due to revolving around a female vampire hunter who almost single-handedly takes on a vampire slave ring targeting vulnerable young girls, with the assistance of an escaped victim who turns her victimisation on its head to fool the slavers and help the other girls (the vampire hunter's love interest is also attracted to her partly ''because'' of [[AmazonChaser her strength and combat prowess]]).
354* ''Literature/AnitaBlakeVampireHunter'' arguably started out as this (or was at least aiming for it), being an UrbanFantasy series about a [[ActionGirl tough]] [[AnimateDead necromancer]] [[OccultDetective cop solving supernatural mysteries]] and unapologetically engages in numerous sexual relationships (both serious and casual). Unfortunately, this [[SubvertedTrope falls on its face a bit]] in the later books, due to the plots increasingly focusing less on Anita being a badass detective and more on her various sexual exploits and romantic drama, not to mention a few problematic implications present throughout the series. Namely, the fact that there are hardly any women characters besides Anita, and the few that do appear tend to be portrayed either as villains or helpless damsels, Anita's tendency to get jealous of and/or look down upon other women, and the general running themes of RealWomenDontWearDresses and NotLikeOtherGirls. The fact that Anita's promiscuity is less because she just likes sex and more because she has a magical condition that requires her to [[MateOrDie have sex or die]] (even if it's with someone she doesn't especially fancy), and that it [[QuestionableConsent compels]] men to want to sleep with her even if they wouldn't usually, also doesn't seem all that empowering to many readers.
355* ''Literature/TheFactoryWitchesOfLowell'' (first published in 2020) takes place in the 1800s and centers on the recently-unionized girl workers of a textile factory who stand up to the all-male staff of overseers, agents, and factory owners to bargain for fair wages and safer working conditions. The "fantasy" elements are restricted to a pinch of witchcraft the mill girls use to keep their picket line strong, but their opponents rely on old-fashioned sexism to fuel their arguments. The men openly discuss the need for their female workforce to be docile and biddable, to limit their aspirations to the domestic sphere, and submit unquestioningly to the patriarchal leadership of their employers or husbands.
356* ''Literature/IronWidow'': The author described it as 400 pages of female rage conducted through giant mechas. Huaxian society oppresses and commodifies women, even killing concubines to use as power sources for mecha. Zetian not only manages to reverse this onto the pilot who killed her sister, she becomes determined to find out why the system works this way to save other women from the same fate. She also has a VERY MeaningfulName - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Zetian Wu Zetian]] being the sole known empress regnant in Chinese history.
357* ''Literature/AMemoirByLadyTrent'' follows the globe-spanning adventures of Isabella, Lady Trent, as she becomes the world's foremost dragon biologist, all the while fighting for recognition and respect in a male-dominated society.
358* Many of Creator/SeananMcGuire's works could be considered this.
359** ''Literature/InCryptid'' is a GenerationalSaga following the [[BadassFamily Price-Healy family]], which is full of {{Action Girl}}s going back to the 19th century. Out of the eleven books out so far, only two have been primarily narrated by a male character, and even in those, there's a well-written ActionGirl as the deuteragonist and {{Love Interest|s}}.
360** ''Literature/DyingWithHerCheerPantsOn'' follows a team of not-quite-human cheerleaders who fight monsters and save the world.
361* ''Literature/{{Quarters}}'': The series portrays complete gender equality in the societies it focuses on, and most of the main characters in the books are women. Issues that heavily affect women such as motherhood and body autonomy are explored, but take it as a given that their rights are equal as a result of the above.
362* Much of Franchise/StarWars is very male-focused, though there are certainly exceptions. ''Literature/LeiaPrincessOfAlderaan'', while it doesn't really have much physical action in it, is quite interested in politically active women, being about Leia Organa and portraying her mother Breha as having an essential and active role in the Rebellion as Bail, as well as including the current Queen of Naboo and various female junior Senators as Leia's peers.
363* ''Literature/TheBurningKingdoms'': Both the novel's lead protagonists and most of the POV characters are women. All main drivers of the plot are women, often working against or without the knowledge of the men in the story. Malini, one of the protagonists, has rebelled against her brother, Emperor Chandra, after he [[SuicidalSadisticChoice ordered that she kill herself to become "pure" or be exiled]], and he has very [[StayInTheKitchen restrictive views on what women should do]]. She rebels further by embracing her lesbian sexuality, something her culture views as taboo, by becoming lovers with Priya, the other protagonist.
364* Fairy tales are typically not known for being progressive, but Hans Christian Andersen's ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'' stands out as ahead of its time. It turns the usual DamselInDistress formula on its head by having protagonist Gerda search for her kidnapped best friend [[DistressedDude Kai]], and save him from a would-be deadly curse with ThePowerOfLove [[LikeBrotherAndSister (and it isn't even romantic love, to boot)]]. Along the way, it's mostly other women who help her, including a princess who has reasonable standards for suitors without getting portrayed badly for it, a badass robber girl, and two wise old women. As for the Snow Queen herself, she may be the antagonist, but she's actually an aversion of GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, being more a personification of winter than an actual villain. The real villain is the Devil, who made the mirror that warped people's hearts with its shattered fragments, leading to Kai getting cursed and subsequently following the Snow Queen as winter is the only thing he still finds beautiful.
365* ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'': The protagonist, Ryougi Shiki, is a stoic, highly-competent ActionGirl with abilities that pretty much make her TheGrimReaper. Furthermore, she generally wears rather tasteful and conservative attire, in contrast to the majority of female NinetiesAntiHeroes from the time period. Also, the the exploration of gender identity and (to a lesser extent) sexual orientation are recurring themes throughout the story.
366* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': A story of a tabletop roleplaying game set in a world where all of the named big political movers and shakers are women, with the protagonists being a wandering party of princesses played by a group of girls, and they occasionally interact with said movers and shakers.
367[[/folder]]
368
369[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
370* Upon close inspection, Morticia Addams from ''Franchise/TheAddamsFamily'' ([[Series/TheAddamsFamily the show]] and [[Film/TheAddamsFamily the film series]]) can be read as a feminist icon to a certain degree. She is sexy, confident, and fully comfortable in her own skin, completely unashamed of many of her strange hobbies and her still ''very'' active sex life. In her marriage, she is equal to Gomez in everything, especially when it comes to parenting their children. Whenever they have a scheme, they do it together, and they have no secrets to hide from each other (not that they would want to).
371* ''Series/AgentCarter'' is a spin-off of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', starring the titular female agent, becoming the first female lead in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. In the aftermath of the war, Peggy finds herself reduced to fetching coffee and answering phones at the organization she works for -- belittled by her peers and unable to find respect as a field agent. When Stark inventions are stolen and he finds himself accused of treason, he contacts Peggy to clear his name and find the missing inventions. Working as a double agent, Peggy takes advantage of her peers' tendency to ignore her and fights to save New York from a criminal organization. The series deals with not only the misogyny of the era but the plight of thousands of women forced to surrender their wartime careers to the returning soldiers.
372* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven'' is a distinctly [[DarkFantasy dark and twisted]] tale, driven by a diverse cast of women. The shadowy society of magic is almost predominantly female, with the powerful figures of Fiona Goode and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laveau Marie Laveau]] leading the rival groups. Unlike previous installments of the series, the women are the driving force of the story and rarely require assistance or protection from the few male characters. They fight their own battles, with each other as well as the various outside forces that threaten them. It deals with issues of older women as sexual beings, feminism as a force that changed society, sexual assault, and even women as dangerous figures in the form of abusers or killers. It neatly avoids the [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale Double Standards]] concerning female-on-male violence, portraying either sex as equally capable of being the abuser ''or'' the victim. On multiple occasions, students of the school declare that they do not need men to protect them, facing down hordes of zombies or axe-wielding serial killers without needing rescue.
373* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' features a balanced cast, explores explicitly feminist themes, and features a fairly equal society. Secretary of Education Laura Roslin finds herself thrust into leadership as President of the refugee fleet, struggling to deal with maintaining power while hiding her terminal illness. Kara Thrace is an [[TheAce ace pilot]] with a troubled past, and mysterious visions that could lead humanity to salvation. Caprica Six is a seductive but strangely kind Cylon, with the Six models slowly finding themselves at the forefront of a philosophical divide among the Cylons. Three, played by Creator/LucyLawless, is a prophet who believes she can discover the identities of the divine Final Five models. The Eights, primarily [[TomatoInTheMirror Boomer]] and Athena, struggle with identity and finding their place in the world as they find themselves on opposite sides of the war. The series deals with issues of reproductive rights, female sexuality, abuse, sexual violence and its aftermath, troubled relationships, varying sexual orientations, and the problems women face as leaders. For every male lead, there is an equal female lead with her own unique journey.
374* ''Series/Batwoman2019'' (which is set in the same universe as ''Series/Supergirl2015'') clearly aspires to be this right from the get-go. After Batman mysteriously disappears, his cousin Kate Kane steps up to become Gotham's new protector as Batwoman. Kate is very much an ActionGirl and was once in the military until she was kicked out for refusing to hide the fact she's a lesbian. She openly has romantic/sexual relationships with women throughout the series and also goes out of her way to ensure Gotham knows she's not Bat'''man''' (hence the long wig she dons). One of the main antagonists is a woman named Alice, the leader of the Wonderland gang who is terrorising the city. The show also includes plotlines or themes around social justice and feminism. After Kate disappears herself, the equally tough Ryan Wilder takes up the mantle of Batwoman in Season 2.
375* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', and a fair number of Creator/JossWhedon works. (The original [[Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer 1992 film]] aspired to this too, but didn't quite get there.) The title character of ''Buffy'' is a teenage girl who discovers she's [[TheChosenOne the latest]] in a long line of Slayers, girls chosen by fate to battle the forces of evil with preternatural abilities. Buffy is notably [[GirlyBruiser both very badass and quite traditionally 'girly']], enjoying shopping and dancing, none of which she is derided for. The show also has many strong and powerful supporting or recurring female characters, in particular Buffy's best friend Willow, a nerdy techno whiz who later becomes a powerful witch. Joss Whedon stated he was partly inspired to create the series as an inversion of the helpless blonde girl who gets killed by the monster in horror movies, with the girl instead having the ability to fight back (indeed the first scene of the series flips ''that'' trope on its head, with the "helpless" blond as the monster who lured in her prey by playing that part).
376* ''Series/Charmed1998'' is a feminist fantasy that features three women banding together and saving the world. This is especially true of earlier seasons when the story seemed very focused on vulnerable women preyed on by aggressive male characters. The fantasy was that they were witches and could thus defend themselves from all of these threats. Also, Charmed was very focused on celebrating women in general with the Halliwells descended from a long line of strong women. Like the original show, the [[Series/Charmed2018 new series]] also revolves around three sisters as its main protagonists and often involves women's issues as well. In fact, their mother was even a professor of women's studies at the local university.
377* ''Series/Cursed2020'': The series is a much more feminist take on the Arthurian legend, told from the perspective of Nimue, Myth/TheLadyOfTheLake of the legend. She's remade into the lead character, who wields the Sword of Power while Arthur here is (although not unimportant) in a secondary position. Nimue leads the Fey to protect them from genocide and is explicitly TheChosenOne. Other female characters are also in prominent positions, both as warriors or otherwise. The difficulties many women would have in the medieval pastiche setting also get explored, such as mostly having been denied real power over their gender, which Nimue and the characters mentioned actively defy.
378* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance''. Two of the three main characters are girls - [[AllLovingHero Deet]] and [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Princess]] [[BadassBookworm Brea]] - who are both brave, intelligent, proactive, and heroic in their own way. The rulers of the Gelfings (the Maudras) are [[{{Matriarchy}} all women]] and in Gelfing society, GenderIsNoObject; both males and females can be warriors, scholars, and so forth. The BigGood of the series is Mother Aughra, who helps guide the Gelfings in their quest to realize the true nature of the [[EvilOverlord Skeksis]] and restore the Crystal of Truth to save Thra; Brea and Deet also play vital roles in uncovering the truth and uniting the Gelfing tribes.
379* ''Series/DarkMatter2015'' starts out as a normal ensemble show, but develops more and more into this trope in season 2, by sidelining, [[FaceHeelTurn face-heel-turning]], or unceremoniously [[spoiler:killing off]] most of the regular male characters, [[spoiler:including the original WhiteMaleLead protagonist]], as well as adding another female regular and expanding the android's personality and plot involvement. By the end of the season, the remaining two guys on the AntiHero team basically just act as henchmen for "Boss Lady" -- and they are perfectly content with that.
380* When ''Series/DoctorWho'' returned to TV in 2005, its producers (first Creator/RussellTDavies, later Creator/StevenMoffat) took the view that the ''companion'' was to be a central character in the series, equal to the Doctor. Considering most of the Doctor's companions are female, it resulted in Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, Clara Oswald, and Bill Potts all becoming a major focus of the action in turn, with many occasions in which they save the day (and the universe). In particular...
381** ...the uber-example of the companions is [[Characters/DoctorWhoClaraOswald Clara Oswald]] (to the point of the character becoming a [[BrokenBase base breaker]]). By the time of her departure after "only" 2 1/2 seasons, she was responsible for not only the Doctor's survival over the millennia, but every future Doctor will also exist because of her (thanks to her resolving a longstanding plot point about how many times [[TheNthDoctor the Doctor can regenerate]]). She is also the only companion to be explicitly established as the Doctor's DistaffCounterpart.
382** With the 2017 announcement that the Thirteenth Doctor is a woman (Creator/JodieWhittaker), the show is '''firmly''' this from Series 11 onward.
383* ''Series/{{Fantaghiro}}'', an Italian RomanticFantasy series by Creator/LambertoBava, is about the eponymous character fighting rival kingdoms, {{evil sorcerer}}s and fantasy monsters; and her boyfriend [[DistressedDude is usually the one who needs to be rescued]].
384* After showing how women are underestimated at best and treated as sex slaves, brood mares, and bargaining chips at worst, ''Series/GameOfThrones'' gets this tinge in its 6th season, in the form of WomenAreWiser. Almost all factions (King's Landing, the Reach, Dorne, the Iron Islands, Meereen) have come to be headed by strong, competent (at least [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen sometimes]]) female rulers (Cersei, Olenna, Ellaria, Daenerys) while the men who had previously held these positions have failed one way or another. The one faction that has a man on its throne (the North) owes its existence to Sansa Stark more than it does to its king Jon who almost got himself and his men killed and would have lost without Sansa's diplomatic skill. Even previously competent male leaders like Tyrion and Jon have turned into GeneralFailure and made a mess for the women to clean up. Women such as Brienne, Arya, and Lyanna Mormont, if not queens in their own right, acquit themselves better than most men do at this point. It eventually ends up being subverted by the end. Ellaria is last seen rotting in the dungeon after being defeated by Euron Greyjoy and losing her daughters, while Olenna is given the chance to commit suicide after being defeated by Jaime's forces. Most controversially, [[spoiler:Daenerys ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, going on a rampage through King's Landing and killing thousands of innocent people, not just Cersei. Jon is ultimately forced to kill Daenerys, resulting in only two female rulers remaining: Yara Greyjoy ruling over the Ironborn and Sansa as Queen in the North, and both largely got the positions by virtue of no one else being eligible for them]].
385** Its prequel ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' is literally this trope; the whole premise of the show is how the feudal, ultra-misogynistic system of Westeros crushes slowly the realm and enacts the biggest civil war in the history of Westeros simply because [[HeirClubForMen the heir to the throne is a woman]].
386* ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': Not only is the main character a woman along with most supporting characters too, the series revolves around women's issues. Most particularly is bodily autonomy, since the Handmaids are {{breeding slave}}s, though also other rights which women have gained (at least in part of the world). They struggle both to resist and survive under a misogynist regime that's horrifically oppressive, in which the smallest freedom is denied to them. Given that many issues in the series have come back into prominence with a number of US laws curtailing many reproductive rights, actual American feminists have even taken up the Handmaid motif to protest while wearing their garb.
387* ''Series/IZombie'' is a crime/fantasy drama focused on [[PunnyName Olivia "Liv" Moore]], a woman who finds her plans derailed after being turned into a zombie. With a need to consume human brains to remain sentient, Liv breaks off her engagement and quits her job as a Surgical Intern before taking a job as an Assistant Medical Examiner. This grants her access to the brains she needs, but with it comes visions from the deceased -- visions that allow Liv to help solve their murders.
388* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', the second work in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse to be led by a woman, takes a ''really'' DarkerAndEdgier approach while still focusing on a female hero and having a supporting cast that is comprised mostly of women. [[Characters/MCUJessicaJones Jessica Jones]], as in the comics, is a retired superhero who has taken to private investigation work. Her enemy is Kilgrave, who has [[CompellingVoice the ability to control minds with his voice]], and uses his powers to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape women]] and abuse other people, and of whom Jessica herself was once a victim. Her biggest allies are a powerful female attorney and an equally powerful female media personality. Characters/LukeCage is another one of her allies, but in a GenderFlip, he's mainly there to look hot and have sex with Jessica at first. Notably, the series plays many FilmNoir tropes straight, except with a woman being the lead instead of a man, including her being a hard drinker and having casual sex.
389* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' ranked up the importance of women of the Second Age, as the creators desired. Queen Miriel is a flawed, but strong-willed leader, Disa, prince Durin's wife, Bronwyn, a Southlander, and Nori who is a Harfoot, are all show creations. The protagonist of the show is none other than Galadriel. While she was the greatest Elf to ever exist, only usurped by Feanor, she was never a centric character, but here she goes through a {{Xenafication}}, being a {{Warrior Prince}}ss wearing armor and wielding a sword. The changes brought to Galadriel resulted in quite the BrokenBase, where people argue that she did not need to be "girlbossified" as she was already a smart, strong character with vast magical and most influent political leader in Middle-earth, and only resulted in a Galadriel that lacks all her power and wisdom. Other people believe it was needed in order to have character development and that the show intends to deconstruct the idea of {{Xenafication}}, to show how toxic and traumatic it is sometimes to want to have every woman wield a sword like men.
390* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The series revolves around four young women at the titular Fort Salem, a training academy for military witches. In their world, as a result of most witches being female, the US seems largely female-dominated (or at least has many leading women, including the President and head of the Army), while the story focuses on female characters even in minor roles (male characters so far have been secondary and in a decided minority), with them filling positions that been traditionally occupied solely by men and having great prestige.
391* ''Series/{{Nikita}}'' features two women as the main heroes in season 1, and in seasons 3 and 4 the primary antagonist is a woman. The titular character is considered among the most dangerous characters in the series. When most male division agents run into her, it doesn't end well for them.
392* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' follows Emma Swan, a tough and cynical BountyHunter who finds her life turned on its head when the son she gave up for adoption shows up on her doorstep. He reveals to her that she is TheChosenOne, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming destined to break the Evil Queen's curse and save the enchanted residents of Storybrooke. Though initially unwilling to believe, over time Emma comes to accept her destiny as a hero. Featuring numerous characters from classical fairy tales and legends, many are re-imagined as heroines in their own right as opposed to typical [[DamselInDistress Damsels]]. Snow White and Prince Charming are a BattleCouple, the Evil Queen is a complex and deeply flawed woman, Belle is a {{Guile Hero}}ine, and even those women that don't physically fight are shown to possess other kinds of strength -- great intelligence, supernatural might, or incredible emotional fortitude.
393* ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'' is a SpinOff of the above, and continues the tradition of strong women. Alice is brilliant and able to outwit the various [[TheChessmaster Chessmasters]] gunning for her. Discovering that TheLostLenore is still alive, Alice undertakes a quest to rescue him.
394* ''Series/OrphanBlack'' is a gritty sci-fi series about a human cloning conspiracy. Along with having a main cast consisting almost entirely of complex female characters, the series explores themes of identity, motherhood, female autonomy, and reproductive rights.
395* ''Series/TheOutpost'': There are roughly equal numbers of women and men in the main and supporting cast, with many common character archetypes of HeroicFantasy (and [[WeirdWest Westerns]]) {{Gender Flip}}ped: TheDrifter, protagonist Talon, is a [[WalkingTheEarth wandering]] {{revenge}}-seeker trying to find a place in the world, TheBartender is a money-grubbing, morally gray female innkeeper, and Gwynn is set up as a [[PrincessClassic classically feminine]] BlueBlood but shows a taste for wild living [[spoiler:and then turns into TheHighQueen and an ActionGirl to rival Talon after it's revealed she's really Rosmund, the {{Hidden Backup Prince}}ss who is plotting a revolution to regain her throne]].
396* ''Series/ShadowAndBone'', based on the [[Literature/TheGrishaverse book series]] by Leigh Bardugo. The central protagonist is an orphaned teenage girl, Alina, who discovers she's the legendary Sun Summoner, a [[OurMagesAreDifferent Grisha]] capable of manipulating light and of potentially destroying the magical wall of darkness literally dividing their country. Alina is also visibly of mixed ethnicity (in the books she's just Ravkan – a FantasyCounterpartCulture to Russia – while [[RaceLift in the show]] she's part Ravkan, part Shu – the fantasy counterpart of Mongolia or China; her actress has a Chinese father and English mother), which is uncommon for a Western fantasy protagonist. She starts out being manipulated by General Kirigan, who seeks to use her power for his own gain and makes her feel she has to rely on him, but by the end of Season 1, she takes back control, declaring she doesn't need him and will shape her own destiny. The other plotlines also have strong female protagonists: Nina is a Heartrender spy who survives abduction and manages to change her captor's view that all Grisha are evil and all women should be docile housewives; Inej is a former SexSlave who is determined to escape that life by joining a CaperCrew and is skilled at martial arts and infiltration. For Grisha in general GenderIsNoObject, with women serving in the Second Army alongside men.
397* ''Series/StrangeEmpire'' was a sadly short-lived Canadian western about a Metis gunslinger looking for her missing husband, a black woman who used to be a sex slave and now is married to the villain of the show, and an autistic woman who wants to be a doctor, and their struggles in the NoWomansLand of a small frontier township consisting primarily of miners and prostitutes. The show particularly stands out in the way it plays Literature/AndThenThereWereNone... with its white male characters.
398* ''Series/Supergirl2015'' focuses on the titular heroine, as she decides to follow in her cousin's footsteps and become a hero. Kara worries about being trapped in her more famous cousin's shadow and works to become her own hero defined by her own successes and failures. Alongside her foster sister, Alex, she aids a covert government agency in hunting down escaped alien criminals -- with the relationship between the sisters a major focus of the story. Her boss, media mogul Cat Grant, also brings another perspective into the story in exploring the double standards attached to successful women. Women, she tells Kara, have to work twice as hard to be acknowledged and aren't allowed to make mistakes if they want to be taken seriously.
399* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', the SpinOff of the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' films. Picking up after the second film, it stars Creator/LenaHeadey as [[MamaBear Sarah]] and introduces Creator/SummerGlau as Cameron, a Terminator in the form of a young woman who has been sent back to protect [[TheChosenOne John]] Connor. Much of the series revolves around the two women fighting to protect John from killer cyborgs, ensuring that he'll grow up to follow in his mother's footsteps as leader of the human resistance.
400* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' has a main female protagonist and her dealing with the troubles of having psychic visions. She also deals with heavy subjects for a show aimed at children -- Racism, body-shaming, drugs, stealing, feeling like a freak because you have something that hardly anyone has, and so forth.
401* ''Series/TinMan'' is a ScienceFantasy retelling of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', where the three main power players are women. DG leads the resistance, her mother the queen is TheMentor pulling the strings so that evil is defeated, and the evil Azkadellia commands an entire army as well as wielding plenty of dark magic herself. [[spoiler: As Azkadellia is really DG's possessed sister, the climax of the story stresses the power of sisterly love, where the combined powers of the sisters defeat the true WickedWitch.]] Most of the men in the story are subservient to the women in some way.
402* ''Series/{{Westworld}}'', being loosely based on the [[Film/{{Westworld}} 1973 film]], can be described as a Feminist Fantasy given that one of the showrunners is Lisa Joy, the wife of Creator/JonathanNolan, who is also one of the showrunners. While it is a science fiction show that focuses on artificial intelligence, human nature, and philosophy (particularly on the subject of free will vs. determinism), the protagonists are two female hosts, Dolores and Maeve, who are constantly abused by the human guests and employees. Throughout the show, both women began fighting for the freedom of their species and while they make mistakes along the way, they eventually learn. By the end of Season 3, [[spoiler:Dolores sacrifices herself to destroy the system that is holding the humans' freedom and passes her mission to Maeve to help both the hosts and the humans find their future]].
403* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Several of the protagonists are women, with the Aes Sedai (who are all female in the present) as a prominent powerful group. The series shows them as equal to (or greater than) men in its world. Though the Chosen One is male, he's helped greatly by the women on his side, and two of the candidates had been female as well.
404* ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'': The Witchblade is explicitly a female force, choosing women to wield it and regarding them as superior. Many of the villains Sara encounters are, conversely, in one way or another embodiments of the darker sides of masculinity or the products of male efforts to "usurp" the female domain (e.g., clones represent [[DesignerBaby artificial control over pregnancy and birth]], {{brainwash|ed}}ing {{super soldier}}s can be seen as a twisted version of child-rearing, and TheLanceOfLonginus is {{literal|Metaphor}}ly the [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] to the Witchblade and wielded by a villain). Protagonist Sara Pezzini is tough and capable but also not afraid to show emotion or otherwise appear feminine, and protective of others in a definite MamaBear sort of way.
405* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'' was intended to be explicitly feminist like its comic book counterpart, but [[ExecutiveMeddling the network]] ordered the show's producers to tone down the messages.
406* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' provides the page image above. It revolves around the adventures of Xena, a powerful ActionGirl who seeks to atone for her dark past as a warlord by fighting for good. She's joined by her loyal best friend Gabrielle; they are either HeterosexualLifePartners [[HoYay or]] [[ShipTease lovers]].
407* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'' follows an all-female cast as they survive being stranded and uncover the mystery behind it. They are all complex women who are each given their own development and arc.
408[[/folder]]
409
410[[folder:Music]]
411* Creator/SeananMcGuire, already an author of many feminist fantasy works, has also released quite a few songs in this genre. For example, "Wicked Girls" from the album of the same name critiques the treatment of female characters in classic children's fantasy and fairy tales, like [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Dorothy]], [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy]], and [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Susan]], and offers them an alternative.
412-->Tinker Bell says, and I find I agree\
413You have to break rules if you want to break free.\
414So do as you like -- we're determined to be\
415Wicked girls saving ourselves.
416[[/folder]]
417
418[[folder:Other]]
419* [[https://www.amightygirl.com/ A Mighty Girl]] website is dedicated to this in order to inspire the young women in the world - Their site has various forms of media (mainly literature) of stories with female characters at the forefront, whether the genre is fiction or non-fiction.
420[[/folder]]
421
422[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
423* ''TabletopGame/BlueRose'' is designed to emulate Feminist Fantasy of the sort published by Creator/TamoraPierce and Creator/MercedesLackey.
424* ''TabletopGame/{{Heroine}}'' is a highly unusual role-playing game that doesn't explicitly concern itself with any obviously feminist issues, but stars an AlwaysFemale main player character overcoming fantastic challenges through her cleverness, daring, and kindness. Also, it is more of a storybook fantasy than any other kind of fantasy.
425* ''TabletopGame/ThirstySwordLesbians'', as the name suggests, is a UsefulNotes/PoweredByTheApocalypse system that revolves around "angsty disaster lesbians" having swash-buckling ScienceFantasy adventures. Themes of the game include fighting corrupt authority figures and using ThePowerOfLove.
426[[/folder]]
427
428[[folder:Theater]]
429* One of the earliest examples is Anne Marie du Boccage's 1749 play ''Les Amazones'', a reimagining of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Amazons in which the Amazons are victorious. The play's sub-heroine, Melanippe, explains the Amazon code to Theseus in what is, in effect, a feminist manifesto. Their aim, she says, is to redress the balance upset by the seizure of power by arrogant males. The only way to do this is by force.
430* ''Theatre/SixTheMusical'' is about the six wives of UsefulNotes/HenryVIII forming a band and signing about their tragic lives. The final song throws the tragedy aside and instead has each girl sing about the AlternateHistory events that led them to form a band together, all of which involve them either ditching Henry or otherwise having a happy life;
431** UsefulNotes/CatherineOfAragon turned down Henry's proposal and joined a nunnery, becoming a top-of-the-hitlist singer as part of the gospel choir.
432** UsefulNotes/AnneBoleyn used Henry's romantic letter to make a hit song, being picked up by a record company and is currently a songwriter for [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakesy-P]].
433** UsefulNotes/{{Jane Seymour|Royalty}} had a large family and formed a family band with her children.
434** Anne of Cleves was turned down by Henry and moved back home, becoming a renowned musician while living at the House of Holbein.
435** Katherine Howard ditched the music teacher who [[DirtyOldMan tried to seduce her]], instead teaching herself the craft.
436** UsefulNotes/CatherineParr heard of each girl individually and reached out to them to form the band.
437[[/folder]]
438
439[[folder:Toys]]
440* Creator/LaurenFaust's original toyline concept, ''Toys/MilkyWayAndTheGalaxyGirls'', does this with a wide, diverse cast. She got put in charge of the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' ContinuityReboot when she pitched the idea, and you can notice similarities between the two. Either way, she is quite proud that she could deliver such a blow to the GirlShowGhetto.
441[[/folder]]
442
443[[folder:Video Games]]
444* In the spirit of the film series, ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' features a strong-willed female protagonist faced with surviving against impossible odds. [[LegacyCharacter Amanda]] [[AllThereInTheManual Ripley]] is the daughter of Lt. Ellen Ripley and has spent her life wondering what happened to her MissingMom -- when she's given the chance to help retrieve the flight recorder from her mother's ship, she ends up trapped on a space station being hunted by both paranoid humans and the titular Alien. An [[WrenchWench engineer]] by trade, she's an ActionSurvivor, using intelligence and her skills to outwit and elude her enemies.
445* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' went a long way towards correcting some of the franchise's past mistakes with female characters, but the ''Jack the Ripper'' DLC is much more explicitly feminist than the base game since it focuses solely on the game's female protagonist Evie Frye (who was somewhat sidelined in the main game) and her quest to [[DistressedDude rescue her brother]] and put an end to Jack. Perhaps the most strikingly empowering part of the DLC is the underlying story arc wherein Evie seeks to help rescue and liberate the prostitutes of London, who have been marginalized and ignored by the chauvinistic Victorian era. One type of side activity literally involves Evie beating the shit out of a man assaulting a prostitute, capturing him, and parading him through the streets of London to be mocked before receiving a good verbal thrashing from [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Nellie]].
446* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'':
447** The title character is an ''insanely'' powerful Witch that uses FullContactMagic, a variety of weapons, her intelligence, and [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] to tear her way through everything in her path. She is one of the last of the Umbra Witches, an order of women warriors charged with helping to uphold the balance of the world.
448** She is the sort of stylish, sexy, sarcastic fantasy action game hero that was an AlwaysMale archetype at the time her game came out. Unlike many less effective 'sexy' {{Action Hero}}ines, her {{Camp}} approach allows her to serve as a silly EscapistCharacter who gamers relate to and want to be, rather than [[LowestCommonDenominator a well-rendered pair of buttocks]] for [[MaleGaze the assumed-straight-male gamer to stare at from a distance]]. We also get to see her as [[TheThreeFacesOfEve a child, a mother, and a nun]], implying a femininity that is more complex than just sex.
449** The male cast members are almost entirely support or comic relief, with Bayonetta and [[TheRival Jeanne]] both serving as the driving force behind the game. Jubileus the Creator has a feminine form, suggesting that the God worshipped by the male Lumen Sages and the normal humans may in fact be female.
450** The game also has RomanticismVersusEnlightenment along traditional myth tropes of the light masculine principle and dark feminine principle, suggesting that feminine subversion, liminality, feeling, sexuality, and fun is the only way to dismantle boring, orderly, oppressive, repressed patriarchy. At the end of the game, Bayonetta summons a prostitute demon to punch the Abrahamic God into the Sun. In an attack called a 'Climax'.
451** There's a strong subversion of the tendency to view [[RealWomenDontWearDresses feminine gender expression as shallow and frivolous]]. Bayonetta's girly accoutrements are all sources of her power - her impractical heels are guns, her jewellery is a MacGuffin, her fancy glasses are her mother's, her lollipop is her connection to her childhood, her perfume allows her to signal her presence despite being hidden in a pocket dimension, she uses her lipstick to write, and her long hair is a medium by which she can summon an extremely powerful demon. But she's also fine with the idea of 'a girl without lipstick', so she avoids the inversion.
452* ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' has Jade, an IntrepidReporter who goes up against the GovernmentConspiracy and handles herself extremely well in the situation. She is also commonly cited among the best examples of realistically proportioned and sensibly dressed female protagonists in video games.
453* ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls'' is the first video game made by Creator/QuanticDream that features a female character as the main protagonist. It stars Jodie Holmes, a young woman who is linked to a poltergeist named Aiden, who is the main source for her PsychicPowers. Throughout the story, she journeys from a troubled woman with an entity stuck in her to a strong CIA operative, and later on, a defected CIA operative.
454* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodrayne}}'' follows {{Dhampyr}} Rayne, a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] working for the Brimstone Society. The first installment sees her battling Nazis during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, while the sequel deals with her personal quest to wipe out her vampire kin. Powerful and highly skilled in martial arts and weaponry, Rayne tears her way through armies and supernatural horrors bent on world domination while dishing out [[DeadpanSnarker snark]]. She shows great intelligence and ingenuity, often outsmarting her foes and coming out on top even when at a physical disadvantage. In the finale of the second game, [[spoiler: after slaying her father and finding herself abandoned by the Brimstone Society in a nightmare world, it's hinted she intends to take over her father's territory -- "Empress might not be a bad job title", indeed]].
455* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'': By deliberate design, Miriam was chosen as the protagonist to capitalize on a demand and need for strong female videogame leads. In addition, this story is wholly ''about'' Miriam, rather than her simply being a passive character in someone else's story or merely being used as a ThirdPersonSeductress. Despite her main goal being tied to a major male character, [[spoiler:this is because ''he'' is the DistressedDude and Miriam is setting out to save him in fulfillment of a promise they made long ago (and even then, it's later revealed that he was just bait and Miriam was the true target all along). The other male characters either act in a supporting role or wind up putting all their hopes in Miriam after their own plans go awry. In addition, the two true villains behind the plot are both women; the TrueFinalBoss they both seek to revive is gendered male, but is more of a demonic force than an actual person, and can only be defeated if you focus fire at the villainess who has fused with him in the fight]].
456* ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'' is this intersecting with transgender and mental health issues. Protagonist Madeline, a trans woman with depression, climbs the eponymous Mt Celeste as a metaphor for mental health recovery, facing manifestations of her inner demons along the way and learning to love herself.
457* ''VideoGame/ChildOfLight'', a RolePlayingGame with platforming elements. It stars Aurora, the strong-willed daughter of an Austrian Duke who awakens in the mystical land of Lemuria. The kingdom has fallen into darkness after the Queen of Night stole the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. To return home, Aurora and her companions must rescue the lights and restore peace to the kingdom. In addition, the main antagonist and her CoDragons are all female.
458* Jesse Faden of ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' starts the game with nothing particularly special about her other than her DarkAndTroubledPast and her GuardianEntity Polaris. Within ten minutes, she's appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Control by [[EldritchAbomination the Board]] and tasked with freeing the Bureau's headquarters from the invasion of the Hiss and, after some apprehension, turns into a full-blown ActionGirl. She develops and hones PsychicPowers throughout the game until, by the end, she can hurl forklifts across the room with her mind, control enemies to fight for her, and fly. The basic story is a GenderFlip of the DamselInDistress, as Jesse is trying to save her brother Dylan. The bulk of the cast is female and in positions of power within the FBC. To top it off, the final horror the Hiss inflict on Jesse is [[spoiler:forcing her to live a banal life as an unappreciated doormat of an office jockey, an unfortunate fate of many women]].
459* ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'' is a very mixed bag. On the one hand, it [[TraumaCongaLine holds absolutely no punches]] when it comes to dangers faced by a young woman with no status or family in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy land -- yes, that includes repeated enslavement, torture, rape, and murder attempts -- and is rigged against the character being able to fight her way out of many situations. On the other hand, it provides numerous opportunities to avoid danger by timely application of guts, wits, and skills or, failing that, to take revenge, persevere, and ultimately emerge a stronger and better person despite all of that. It's ''also'' an unabashed woman's sexual fantasy (by WordOfGod in an interview) about being desired by everyone and getting to have lots of no-strings-attached sex if you want to, with attention paid to making the sexual content actually meant to be sexy to be only by choice (though there is a slight bias towards the author's own desires to go for it so that a player who's not into that part of the story won't necessary feel comfortable with everything).
460* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' and its [[VideoGame/DinoCrisis2 first sequel]] are both SurvivalHorror games made by Capcom, starring a strong female protagonist. Regina is a highly skilled professional soldier, serving as part of a team sent in to extract a rogue scientist. She's intelligent, calm under pressure, and highly capable of taking on the various dinosaurs infesting the facility without any need for rescue. While her male peers primarily act as MissionControl or take on information gathering, Regina is responsible for much of the grunt work and dinosaur-slaughtering necessary to survive.
461* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
462** Creator/BioWare's other big franchise seemingly outdoes ''Franchise/MassEffect'' in its portrayal of badass women. Female fighters are simply ''everywhere'' in Thedas, with most nations having adopted a GenderIsNoObject policy long ago (with Tevinter and the Qun being the notable exceptions). Throughout the series, you are partnered with several fully fleshed-out women in your squad. Additionally, the Chantry, the FantasyCounterpartCulture for the Catholic Church and arguably the most powerful political entity in Thedas, is comprised ''exclusively'' of women, including the head of Chantry and its most powerful scholars and warriors. This is in large part due to the fact that its founder was female prophet/warrior named Andraste (whose story is honestly worthy of a game itself).
463** Ironically, even though the Qun is the only nation in Thedas that prohibits women from fighting (at least in the military; the [[SecretPolice Ben-Hassrath]] have quite a few female agents), it is actually a matriarchy. Women are seen as naturally better at management, so they're in charge of government, the priesthood, the merchants, the crafts(wo)men, and the farmers. Men are soldiers and laborers, and can be a part of the priesthood. That's it. The Tamassrans, a female-exclusive branch of the priesthood, are the de facto rulers of Qunari society.
464* While "VideoGame/EldenRing" doesn't really have a set MainCharacter, with the Tarnished being a blank slate, a look at the characters of the wider setting and the overall lore firmly puts it into this trope. For one, the resident TopGod of the setting is a woman, Queen Marika the Eternal, which itself is a massive departure from most mythologies, including the [[{{Myth/ClassicalMythology}} Classical]] and [[{{Myth/NorseMythology}} Norse]] ones that were among the main inspirations for the setting. Furthermore, she's shown to be a cunning, ruthlessly intelligent Chessmaster and warlord who had a big part in forging her empire into what it is now. On top of that, there's the fact that despite both her spouses being men, she's shown to be the one holding the reigns in their relationships. It's especially notable in the case of Godfrey, who despite being the archetypal ManlyMan, is shown to be perfectly fine with this, to the point of having no resentment against her for exiling him, as indicated by his cut dialogue. And going beyond Marika, quite a few of the big players in the setting are women. Queen Rennala is not only the ruler of Liurnia, she's also TheArchmage of the setting, being credited as the most powerful sorceress in the LandsBetween, along with holding the position of WorldsSmartestWoman. Furthermore, of the five [[TheChosenOne Empyreans]] mentioned in game, four of them (Marika, Ranni, Malenia, and the Gloam-Eyed Queen) are women, with only one man among them (Miquella). And speaking of the Empyreans, we have Malenia, who's not only a contender for both WorldsStrongestMan and WorldsBestWarrior, she does all of this while being a [[HandicappedBadass blind, triple-amputee suffering from a terminal illness]], a reputation she more than lives up to as the game's premier {{Superboss}}.
465* ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' is an unusual example, as having female protagonists was intended to make the player feel more vulnerable. The unintended result was a series that focuses primarily on female characters, with heroines that rely on their intelligence and courage to overcome tormented spirits and dark curses while [[RescuedFromTheUnderworld saving]] loved ones. Each game focuses on the downfall of cults that exploited Shrine Maidens for their power, causing a deadly curse. [[spoiler: These curses were caused by [[BreakTheCutie traumatizing]] the BarrierMaiden while attempting to control her. And each curse is lifted through the female protagonist learning the BigBad's tragic story and helping her find peace by making things right.]] The first game focuses on Miku's quest to save her older brother, while the second game focuses on the bond between twin sisters as one tries to rescue the other. The third deals with the nature of grief, tying together the two previous installments while focusing on Rei's journey into a dreamworld to find the soul of her dead lover. It features the first playable male character, noteworthy for being ''weaker'' than the women and forced to hide from spirits as a result.
466* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
467** While ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has an ensemble cast and doesn't really have a single main character, the two characters who come closest to fulfilling the role for most of the story, Terra and Celes, are both female. Terra is frequently considered the most important character in the game not just by players but by the cast themselves, due in no small part due to being [[spoiler:half-Esper]]. She also fits a number of {{Messianic Archetype}}s (hell, her mother's name is ''Madonna''), though not as much as Yuna, seen below.
468** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'''s main character may be Zidane, but the majority of the plot is driven by Princess Garnet. Rather than just being a PrincessClassic, she's a highly intelligent and determined young woman who (despite her initial naivety) manages to prove her own independence across the game. Supporting females include Freya - who is a powerful dragon knight out to rescue the man she loves, Beatrix - a fearsome [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] who commands the all-female military of Alexandria, and Eiko - a WiseBeyondHerYears six-year-old who is highly skilled and resourceful in the field.
469** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' seemingly tricks the audience into believing that Tidus is the main character of the story, and as the story progresses it appears that this is actually Yuna's story and he serves as the AudienceSurrogate for her quest to save the world. Yuna begins the story as a naive young woman determined to sacrifice herself for the greater good, but as it goes on she must choose a new path in order to defeat [[EldritchAbomination Sin]] once and for all. Towards the story's climax, it becomes clearer that Tidus is the {{Deuteragonist}} to Yuna's SupportingProtagonist [[spoiler:as he is the one truly destined to kill Sin, not Yuna]]. The game's sequel, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', is a straight example that features an all-female party, taking elements of the MagicalGirl genre with transformations allowing them to harness different powers and abilities. The Gull Wings are primarily focused on enjoying the world they saved, but Yuna also seeks to find out [[spoiler:what happened to Tidus after he vanished during the first game's ending]].
470** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' features a naive male AudienceSurrogate, but RebelliousPrincess Ashe is the focal point of the plot, using political intrigue and supernatural or military might to reclaim her throne and save her kingdom. When an invasion killed first her husband, and then her father, rather than surrender to her fate... she faked her own death and became part of an underground resistance. The others become involved in her quest and follow her as she journeys across the lands in search of mystical artifacts, great weapons, and political allies to aid in her mission to save her kingdom. She becomes the focus of [[spoiler: a mysterious race of god-like beings, who offer to make her a God-Queen ruling over all mankind. They encourage her desire for revenge, but ultimately she rejects them and chooses a path toward freedom and peace for mankind]].
471** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' was advertised as the first in the series to have a female protagonist (as opposed to previous titles that used a male as the AudienceSurrogate), and centers primarily around the women of the story. Lightning is a capable and skilled soldier, and quickly establishes herself as a leader while struggling to [[DefrostingIceQueen open up]] to her new companions. Vanille and Fang also help drive the plot through their choices, and [[spoiler: ultimately find a loophole to complete their Focus while still saving the people of Cocoon]]. The sequels expand upon this, with the focus on the Goddess Etro and how her Seeress has shaped history. Serah takes the reigns of TheProtagonist, while Lightning becomes a Champion of the Goddess. The final game of the trilogy sees Lightning become the maiden of legend: the Savior foretold to appear at the end of the world and lead mankind to salvation. It deviates from a party system, seeing Lightning become a literal [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] on a divine mission to save mankind. The final confrontation with the BigBad manages to further the feminist themes of the story: [[spoiler: Upon learning that God intends to make humanity soulless puppets, with her as Etro's replacement, she uses her new-found power as a [[PhysicalGod Goddess]] to defeat him. The many incarnations of the Seeress Yeul offer to take Lightning's place as the new Goddess of death to ensure the cycle of rebirth can be restored, while Lightning leads the souls of humanity to a new world]].
472* ''VideoGame/{{Folklore}}'' involves a supernatural murder mystery, told from the point of view of protagonists [[MysteriousWaif Ellen]] and [[IntrepidReporter Keats]]. While Keats follows behind, Ellen dives forward into a quest to discover her forgotten past and unravel the mysteries of the Netherworld that threaten the residents of Doolin. Ellen is the latest in a long line of women chosen to be the Messenger, using a supernatural cloak to travel between the world of the Living and the Netherworld. As Ellen battles her way through various worlds, she comes closer to discovering the dark secrets that connect her to a tragedy from 15 years ago.
473* The player character of ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'' is a warrior woman named Nariko. She's regarded as cursed by her clan because she was born instead of a prophesised male warrior who could wield the [[CoolSword Heavenly Sword]] - which kills any other who uses it - and save the clan from [[BigBad King Bohan]]. Despite this, Nariko [[TheUnchosenOne steps up anyway as the sword's wielder]] to save her people, aided by [[BadassAdorable Kai]], a teenage girl who is a crack shot with a crossbow. Nariko's powerful enough by the game's climax to take on [[OneManArmy entire armies singlehandedly]].
474* ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'' is an interesting example. Player character Senua is a [[BrokenBird very vulnerable and traumatised young woman]], who suffers from schizophrenia or a similar delusional disorder. However, she's also a brave, resilient, and highly skilled Celtic warrior, who is on a quest to Hel (the Norse one with one 'L') to try and bring her dead lover back. She dresses sensibly for a warrior on a road trip to the afterlife and her condition is definitely ''not'' glamourized. She notably defied her abusive father to pursue love and happiness for herself, and Dillion is a very supportive boyfriend who encourages her to become a warrior and never shuns her for her mental illness. Overall, the game is about Senua trying to cope with her many losses, learning to accept herself, and finding hope.
475* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'' is about a young woman named Aloy, a badass huntress and warrior in her own right, on a quest of self-discovery that ultimately reveals her to be [[spoiler:TheChosenOne destined to save the new world created by Project Zero Dawn]]. Quite literally [[spoiler:all life in Earth]] ends up resting on her shoulders. The portrayal of strong women in the game however goes far beyond Aloy herself, and extends to female characters like Sona, Petra, Talanah, Vanasha, and [[spoiler:Aloy's genetic predecessor and pseudo-"mother", Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, who already saved the world once]]. ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'' is ultimately a story about not just Aloy but strong women of every type challenging tradition, standing up for themselves and saving and protecting their communities and ultimately [[spoiler:life itself]].
476* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' stands out from the rest of the franchise for not only providing the first playable Heroine but turning classic Disney films on their head a little with how she fits into their narratives. The story begins with Aqua earning the rank of Master and being charged with locating and bringing home her TrueCompanions when they go astray. She spends much of the game struggling to save Terra and Ventus from the darkness threatening them, [[spoiler: and is the sole protagonist of the Final Chapter]]. An equal balance of LadyOfWar and LadyOfBlackMagic, she is an exceptionally skilled warrior and the most level-headed among the PowerTrio. When encountering classic Princesses, she is the one who actively facilitates their happy endings -- escorting Cinderella during her escape from Lady Tremaine, defeating the Magic Mirror and the Evil Queen to help save Snow White, and rescuing Prince Phillip from Maleficient's castle before they face down the sorceress-turned-dragon together. [[spoiler: In the Final Chapter, it is revealed that she was the one that laid many significant pieces of groundwork for the main story -- providing Kairi with the power of the Keyblade, creating Castle Oblivion to protect Ventus, and foiling Xehanort's original plan by destroying the x-Blade and leaving his new host (Terra) without memories. She was also the one to first encourage and warn Sora to watch over Riku, and never give up on him should he go astray in the future.]]
477* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' is about an 18-year-old high school student named Max Caulfield who has the power to rewind time and she uses this superpower to help others and catch sexual predators. Also, half of the game's main cast are females who have as much prominence as the males.
478* ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' features a cheerful, perky cheerleader who slays zombies with a chainsaw. A chainsaw that spews rainbows and sparkles, because [[RuleOfCool that's awesome]]. In order to save her boyfriend after he's bitten, she uses a spell to transform him into a living severed head and brings him along on her adventure to save the world from a zombie apocalypse. Creator/Suda51 and Creator/JamesGunn use AudienceSurrogate Nick to illustrate points about unequal relationships and objectification, in this case quite ''literal''.
479* ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' and ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney'' heroines April Ryan and Zoe Castillo are often considered by the fans to exemplify Feminist Fantasy, but their creator, while admitting a penchant for diligent and persevering women, denies that it was his main intention for creating them. Nevertheless, the fact is that both go out on an adventure, brave danger, proactively solve their own and others' problems and issues, and ultimately save their world.
480* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
481** It does a great job with its female characters, which is one of the reasons why the game has such a large EstrogenBrigade. Since the first game, every squad in the series has had a roughly 1:1 gender distribution, with women warriors potentially outnumbering the men if you play as female or [[spoiler: save Ashley on Virmire]]. Even the more sexualized characters, like Miranda and Samara, are ''far'' more than eye candy and receive plenty of CharacterDevelopment throughout the series that turns them into, well, people rather than objects. Much like sister series ''Franchise/DragonAge'', ''Mass Effect'' also shows plenty of women as soldiers, scientists, and other strong individuals among the N.P.C.s and background characters. The real icon of the feminist influence in ''Mass Effect'' though is the female version of Commander Shepard, affectionately known as "Fem!Shep" to the fans, who manages to surpass being a typical PurelyAestheticGender RPG protagonist due to Creator/JenniferHale's extremely well-done voice performance for the character and Creator/BioWare's acknowledgement and endorsement of female Shepard as a strong female protagonist.
482** The asari, a OneGenderRace of [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe blue alien space babes]] who [[MsFanservice conveniently]] are willing to mate with any gender of any species, initially come off as pure {{Fanservice}} material, and there's no denying they're the most sexualized characters in ''Mass Effect''. Nonetheless, the asari are also regarded as the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy due to their long life span, history in galactic politics (they found the Citadel first, and essentially run the galactic government), and natural talent for biotics, and their individual soldiers are considered the most formidable warriors in the galaxy ([[SoldierVsWarrior emphasis on "individual" though]]). As with the other more sexualized female characters in ''Mass Effect'', the asari characters in Shepard's squad as well as notable NPC characters all are well-developed characters with their own motives, ambitions, and personalities. Whether or not all of this cancels out the {{Fanservice}} they provide is one of the most contested parts of ''Franchise/MassEffect''.
483* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorUnderground'': A prominent CentralTheme of the game is Manon Batiste's femininity and her place as a young French spy living and fighting through the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII deadliest conflict in human history]]. Even though Manon never speaks outside of the intro and post-mission films (and only pain grunts and death cries when she is shot during gameplay), the missions continually harken to her womanhood -- she is the sister of a LaResistance cell leader, stealth sequences have her posing as a female journalist to infiltrate German facilities, taking cheeky snaps of the German soldiers with the camera to get them to lower their guard and let her through checkpoints when the paperwork fails.
484* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' was one of the first video game series to feature a strong female protagonist, even though the identity of Samus Aran was kept a secret until the finale.
485* Much like ''BG&E'', ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'' stars a tough [[LeParkour free runner]] Faith who takes up the fight against the corrupt government (and a GovernmentConspiracy to boot) to save her framed sister and sole surviving family.
486* ''VideoGame/NeverAlone'', a PuzzlePlatformer based on the Iñupiaq legend, ''Kunuuksaayuka''. While the original story featured a young boy, the creators decided to make the lead a young girl named Nuna. WordOfGod explains that [[http://neveralonegame.com/why-a-girl/ they wanted to address]] the distinct lack of positive female characters in video games, and provide an inspirational role model for young girls.
487* ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'', on the other hand, is an outright parody of Franchise/JamesBond but its heroine Cate Archer nevertheless stands out on her own.
488* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' stars FairCop Aya Brea, an NYPD detective who discovers her [[CursedWithAwesome mutated genes]] have made her the only person capable of saving humanity. Her police training and growing powers make her a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]], battling her way through various mutated horrors in her quest to stop the titular [[BigBad Eve]] from destroying humanity. The sequels see her become an FBI agent, and once again the only woman capable of saving the human race.
489* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'', starring Joanna Dark as a badass spy and action girl, with the irony of being created as a SpiritualSuccessor to a Franchise/JamesBond game.
490* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' addresses issues concerning gender, with the majority of the party struggling in some capacity with the problems stereotypes and traditional expectations cause people. {{Tomboy}} Chie struggles with being viewed as "one of the guys", and feels jealousy towards her more traditionally feminine friend, Yukiko. Meanwhile, Yukiko feels trapped in her role as the heiress of an Inn, with her Shadow taking the form of a twisted PrincessClassic waiting for a Prince to rescue her. (Of course, she has to do it herself.) Tough Guy Kanji resents being treated as less of a man for [[RealMenWearPink liking cute things and enjoying knitting]], while KidDetective Naoto pretends to be a man in order to be taken seriously in a male-dominated field. Finally, IdolSinger Rise struggles to define herself beyond the many roles she has played in her career and worries about who the "real" Rise is. Her [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind Dungeon]] takes on the form of a strip club, reflecting the darker side of fame for women.
491* ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' and its [[VideoGame/PillarsOfEternityIIDeadfire sequel]] both feature female soldiers, priests, warriors, pirates, politicians, merchants, and scientists. Some of them can join your squad, in addition to playing as female yourself.
492** Pallegina, a female [[TouchedByVorlons godlike]], faces a double-whammy of being regarded as a mutant freak and being the only female in a brotherhood of knights -- the recruiter accepted her because her godlike status makes her sterile, and only [[StayInTheKitchen women who can bear children]] are considered "women" in her country. Nevertheless, she's overcome these challenges in her backstory, and her personal quest in the first game revolves around [[MyCountryRightOrWrong her duties as a soldier]] instead.
493** Grieving Mother, a [[PsychicPowers cipher]] midwife recruitable in the first game, embodies how much the Hollowborn crisis (a malady where children are [[TheSoulless born without souls]]) affects parents, especially mothers, on a personal level.
494** The second game focuses on four factions, two of which are led by women. [[spoiler: And the other two can end up with female replacement leaders who are just as competent and ruthless as their male counterparts.]]
495* One of the things that makes ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' stand out from the pack is that its only two characters are both female. [=GLaDOS=] is a deliciously snarky and manipulative character, and while Chell's HeroicMime status makes her a bit of a blank slate, she's clearly intelligent and {{determin|ator}}ed and isn't sexualized.
496* ''VideoGame/TheQuarry'' is a survival horror game heavily influenced by '80s horror movies, starring an ensemble cast. The women of the game drive much of the action, facing physical threats and defending others while the men mostly cover technical or emotional roles. The game even features some of the partial nudity for FanService purposes you'd expect in an '80s slasher... but men are shown in their underwear at least as often as women are, with the conventionally handsome and athletic male character Jacob being the character who's probably going to spend the most time without a shirt on in most playthroughs. Depending on the choices made during the previous chapters, the final chapter of the game even has an alternate title of "FinalGirl".
497* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' features a very balanced approach to its protagonists, with multiple strong and capable women. The first two installments gave the player the choice of a male or female character, and subsequent titles have always had at least one strong female as either the primary lead, secondary lead, or major antagonist. The majority are professionals working in law enforcement or the military, and any rescuing is divided equally between the genders. Those that aren't {{Action Girl}}s are accomplished professionals, such as scientists or businesswomen. Ashley Graham is the lone exception, which is somewhat justified since she's the President's daughter.
498* ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'' may place the player in the shoes of Kyrie Illunis, but he's often out-shined by his {{Love Interest|s}} and SupportingLeader, Morte Asherah. She's the one in charge of directing the team in where they'll go and what they'll kill, and is generally a very tough DarkActionGirl (who [[GirlyBruiser happens to like flashy pink dresses]]). You CantDropTheHero in this game, and it's notable that, while that's ''usually'' Kyrie, there's a chunk where it's Morte [[spoiler:due to him being dead and her seeking to revive him because she just realized that she loves him for more than his useful powers]]. Even when Kyrie manages to grow as a character and Morte decides to turn against some of her OmnicidalManiac ways, it's only so they can become a BattleCouple, not so their roles can be reversed to "traditional" male lead and female support (unlike the later manga adaptation, which is much less feminist-friendly). The game is keen to point out that the reason Kyrie is successful in trying to ScrewDestiny is due to ThePowerOfLove. The Japanese title, translated as ''World Destruction: Guided Wills'', makes the interplay of the two leads clear: Kyrie may be TheHero, but he's not the guy in charge; Morte may be the actual leader and a bit AxCrazy, but she's heavily influenced by Kyrie's AllLovingHero tendencies. Morte's {{Childhood Friend|s}} Agan is due to inherit the title of Chief from his mom, and no one comments on it or suggests he needs to hurry up and claim his "proper" role or that she's doing an inferior job; the Bacchitav Caravan is a pretty egalitarian place overall, one of the [[FantasticRacism few locations]] where humans and beastmen of either gender are treated equally (possibly because life on the Sand Sea is tough and they all HadToBeSharp; as long as they're capable of pulling their own weight and contributing to the Sand Tribe, race and gender are pretty immaterial). Rhi'a is treated with great respect as a Dragonkin, in addition to being quite capable as TheGunslinger; the fact that she resembles a fifteen-year-old girl is a moot point. ThatOneBoss, Serpens Rex, is a powerful sorceress, notable for being able to brainwash [[spoiler:Morte]], who later utterly avoids the tricky mental spell used by Noctua Rex (a male owl). The final boss, [[spoiler:the Creator of the world]], is also female. While the overall cast gender ratio is heavily skewed in favor of males, the females who do appear all take an active, important role.
499* ''VideoGame/ScienceGirls'' is about the science club of an all-female school that has to team up and use superpowers to fight off an alien invasion.
500* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' has the rare distinction of both the main hero (Shantae herself) ''and'' the main villain (PirateGirl Risky Boots) being different forms of a woman's PowerFantasy. Shantae is friendly, helpful, lovable, quirky, and [[BadassAdorable a powerhouse]] in her own right, while Risky follows nobody's rules but her own, proves herself to be TheChessmaster and a skilled fighter, and commands respect from her crew of Tinkerbats. Other women in the series such as [[TheBeastmaster Sky]] and [[AttractiveZombie Rottytops]] are rather badass as well.
501* ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' is the first (and thus far, only) installment in the franchise to feature a female protagonist. The story focuses on Heather, a young woman plagued by horrific nightmares and repeatedly approached by a strange woman that states she will "lead them to paradise with blood-stained hands". [[spoiler: She is in fact the third incarnation of [[ApocalypseMaiden Alessa]], and the infant entrusted to Harry Mason at the conclusion of the first game.]] Heather's emotional journey as she searches for the answers to her dark past and connection to [[BigBad Claudia]] and the Order is the primary focus of the game. She deals bravely with horrific monsters and environments, but also with her own personal demons from [[spoiler: Alessa's suffering]] as well as her own desire for revenge. Cycles of abuse and revenge are explored, as well as needing to overcome darker impulses and accepting the past to move forward. As a bonus, an alternate costume for Heather transforms her into a MagicalGirl with all the associated ideas of femininity as a source of power.
502* The ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' series fits under this mold well. While characters of either gender can be played, the main ones used in promotions and marketing are female, and they've all got a lot of sass to go with their firepower. Each game is also hosted by "idol" characters and their relationships with each other get highlighted quite a bit: from bright and peppy Callie bouncing off her cool and sardonic cousin Marie to everlasting bond between the kind-hearted yet foulmouth Pearl and the shy and tech-savvy Marina. [[spoiler:They also help your player character in the single-player campaigns, with a lot of your progress not being possible without their skills.]] Fashion plays heavily into game mechanics as well, with styles from all over the gender spectrum available to mix and match to your liking. The few male characters in the story are typically support (Cap'n Cuttlefish, Sheldon), largely in the background (Judd and Lil' Judd), or actively antagonistic (DJ Octavio, [[spoiler:Commander Tartar]], [[spoiler:Mr. Grizz]]), but in spirit of the trope, the girls are on equal footing with them, give or take the Judds.
503* The ''VideoGame/{{Syberia}}'' series revolves around Kate Walker's journey, both physical and spiritual, from a professionally single-minded lawyer arriving in Valadilene to a BoldExplorer braving the wilderness of the eponymous lost island of Syberia.
504* Lara Croft from ''Franchise/TombRaider'' was always divisive when it came to whether she was a positive female character or not. She's a kick-ass, intelligent AdventurerArchaeologist, is independent and wealthy, but she was also ''very'' sexualized in the marketing for her earlier games. Far less contentious however is the rebooted ''Tomb Raider'' franchise produced by Crystal Dynamics, which thus far includes ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'', ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'', and ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider'', which toned Lara's sexualization way down to the point of being basically non-existent and focused on her growth and CharacterDevelopment from a timid college student to a tough but traumatized survivor and badass. The first game in particular focused on her relationship with another woman, Sam, and how their friendship helped Lara grow as a person. The scripts for the rebooted series were also written by a woman, Creator/RhiannaPratchett.
505* ''VideoGame/UnchartedTheLostLegacy'', a standalone entry in the franchise and spin-off of ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', stars a duo of strong, complex female protagonists: Chloe Frazer (the PlayerCharacter), an adventurous thief and explorer introduced to the series in ''VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves'' as something of a DistaffCounterpart to protagonist Nathan Drake, and Nadine Ross, a no-nonsense [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] mercenary introduced as a supporting antagonist in ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd''. The game focuses on their partnership and eventual friendship for the entire plot. It's [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/08/25/uncharted-the-lost-legacy-and-the-power-of-female-friendships been noted]] that the focus on a positive female relationship in the game is fairly groundbreaking due to women often being relegated to [[TheSmurfettePrinciple singular]] or [[CatFight antagonistic]] roles in video games and entertainment in general, so having two female leads who are partners is a powerful subversion in and of itself.
506* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' reworks a lot of tropes from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. One of these is the [[EvilCounterpartRace Drow]], reworked as the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Kaldorei]] more commonly known as Night Elves. Like the drow of D&D, the night elves are Matriarchal. What makes it this trope, is that the sole Matriarchal race isn't [[AlwaysChaoticEvil evil]] (though other elves place a great deal of importance on respecting women, they don't so seem to grant women the same degree of privilege). Not to mention that this rework also avoids [[UnfortunateImplications other problems]] with the Drow, such as them being black-skinned.
507* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' is a video game trilogy that acts as a SpiritualSuccessor of the video game, ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', and it stars three main female characters in the party. The main protagonist of the series, Shion Uzuki, is a computer scientist and programmer working for Vector Industries who wields the M.W.S. as her [[WeaponSpecialization weapon of choice]] and is a skilled martial artist. KOS-MOS is a SuperPrototype RobotGirl created by her to fight the Gnosis, and she has a lot of weapons at her disposal. MOMO is a 100-Series Realian prototype who is capable of feeling human emotions, and she gains a desire to be human. It also stars female antagonists such as Pelligri, Commander Margulis' second-in-command, and T-elos, an android girl designed to replace KOS-MOS and more emotional than the previous two.
508[[/folder]]
509
510[[folder:Visual Novels]]
511* The central protagonist of ''VisualNovel/Ascension2013'' is Aida, a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky,]] [[ActionGirl asskicking]] thief-turned-hero who is unapologetic about any of this. Other major characters include Sky and Tillie; although Sky spends a lot of the first chapter as rather timid and ProneToTears, she's still quite brave and loyal, and later [[TookALevelInBadass takes some serious levels in badass]] to become a powerful [[WhiteMagicianGirl magic user.]] Tillie is a [[BadassBookworm very intelligent alchemist]] who defied dwarf stereotypes to follow her passion and aspires to open a magic school. There are also numerous supporting or minor badass and strong-minded female characters.
512* The main protagonist of "VisualNovel/WitchOnTheHolyNight" is Aoko Aozaki, who's a HotBlooded, [[ActionGirl asskicking]] magus-in-training who doesn't take shit from anyone. Her primary ally and confidant throughout the story is Alice Kuonji, who's very poised and dignified, but who's every bit as dangerous as Aoko. And that's not getting into the fact that the BigBad is [[spoiler: Touko Aozaki]], who's one of the most powerful and accomplished mages in the entire setting. Furthermore, the two main male characters, Soujuurou sizuki and Lugh Beowulf, both tend to take more subordinate roles to the girls, and are both shown to be perfectly ok with that. And that's not even getting into the fact that Aoko is the [[spoiler: wielder of one of the Five True magics, which have the ability to do the impossible]], and which she uses to [[spoiler: save Soujuurou's life]]. Lastly, on a more minor note, there's pretty much no Fanservice regarding the girls. In fact, the only scene that could qualify as Fanservice involves Soujuurou having a ShirtlessScene while changing only for Aoko and Alice to stumble upon him, and they're both shown to be [[EatingTheEyeCandy rather appreciative of what they see]].
513* The Nasuverse as a whole arguably falls into this. While some of the later entries definitely tend to be more heavy on fanservice, there's no denying that it's filled with a high number of powerful, competent women. Of the entries, "Literature/TheGardenOfSinners" and "VisualNovel/WitchOnTheHolyNight" both follow female protagonists with little to no fanservice present, and in "VisualNovel/FateStayNight" and "VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}", the heroines tend to be just as, if not more, competent and powerful than the male protagonists, with Arcueid, the "main" heroine of the latter, being a contender for strongest character in the setting. Furthermore a fair number of the [[BigBad BigBads]] and [[ArcVillain ArcVillains]] are women, with [[VideoGame/FateExtra Kiara Sesshouin]], [[VideoGame/FateGrandOrder Tiamat]], and [[VideoGame/FateGrandOrder Morgan Le Fay]] being particularly striking examples.
514[[/folder]]
515
516[[folder:Web Animation]]
517* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is an action-oriented series focused on an AcademyOfAdventure where students train to become [[HunterOfMonsters Hunters or Huntresses]]. The cast are all loosely based on various {{Fairy Tale|Motifs}}s, with Literature/LittleRedRidingHood starring as [[SinisterScythe scythe-wielding]] Ruby, Literature/SnowWhite as LadyOfWar Weiss, Literature/{{Goldilocks}} as CuteBruiser Yang, and Literature/{{Beauty|AndTheBeast}} as {{Ninja}} Blake. The cast primarily consists of women, all capable warriors in their own right and respected as equals by their male peers. It also features references to warrior women from mythology, in the forms of [[TheAce Pyrrha]] Nikos (Amazons) and [[GirlyBruiser Nora]] Valkyrie. According to WordOfGod, they intentionally avoided panty shots even when the heroines are jumping and flipping around in short skirts.
518** A consistent pattern in the show is that male authority figures always screw up in some way and will either recognize their faults and work alongside the heroines or double down and become villains. Ozpin freely admits that he has made "more mistakes than any man, woman or child" on Remnant, and is on the receiving end of several WhatTheHellHero from the girls. Taiyang was deeply depressed and absent for most of Ruby's childhood, leading to Yang's PromotionToParent. Qrow is an alcoholic who only decides to go sober after Ruby chews him out for being useless. [[spoiler:Lionheart succumbs to his cowardice and becomes an agent of the (female) BigBad and Ironwood succumbs to paranoia and becomes a fascist dictator (who is opposed by a different, all-female team of heroes). Finally, the brother gods Light and Dark put the entire overarching conflict into motion by being petty and cruel.]] It usually falls to younger female characters to pick up the slack and fix the mistakes of their male predecessors.
519[[/folder]]
520
521[[folder:Webcomics]]
522* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfGynoStar'' is explicitly feminist. One of the antagonists is a housewife who wants to turn all women on Earth into housewives. Another one is a teenage boy whose superpower is making the MaleGaze come true, changing himself into a muscled abnormity and all women into thin and nevertheless big-breasted bimbos.
523* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'''s protagonist is a mother TrappedInAnotherWorld, searching for her ailing son. For a time, she is the UnfazedEveryman in a party with a grandmotherly [[MegaMicrobes bacterium]] [[TheMedic medic]], a swashbuckling fungus {{princess|InRags}}, and a [[BigCreepyCrawlies maggot]] [[LadyOfBlackMagic sorceress]].
524* ''Webcomic/BewareTheVillainess'': The story centers around a smart, capable female protagonist that takes an introspective look at {{Double Standard}}s of the romance genre, as well as wider fiction and even ''real life'', and thus takes the story OffTheRails by refusing to play along with sexist tropes and assumptions. She out-maneuvers, out-wits (and [[ActionGirl sometimes even out-fights]]) the characters that repeatedly try to stop her, and does it while [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calling out their flaws]] and [[KirkSummation explaining why]] the things they want or believe are toxic/twisted. The story is ''not'' afraid to repeatedly mention that its female characters are not "things" to be rescued, admired, or sought-after, but agents in charge of their own fates.
525* ''Webcomic/DraconiaChronicles'', if you can get past the fact that half the characters are nudists and the other half are {{Nubile Savage}}s, and all of them except the kids and two male characters are MsFanservice in their own way. 99% of the cast are strong independent women, as the story is about two matriarchal civilizations locked in a ForeverWar.
526* ''Webcomic/ErikaAndThePrincesInDistress'': The story as a whole deals with many feminist topics, and uses [[GenderInvertedTrope the inversion of gender stereotypes]] to put light on them and invite the reader to question them. The most obvious example is the fact that [[MenAreTough Women Are Tough]] and [[WomenAreDelicate Men Are Delicate]], and those who do not fill that mold are often looked down upon. Characters also often find themselves on the receiving end of comments that mirror ones thrown at the opposite gender in real life: women are told that they [[MenDontCry shouldn't cry]] and [[BystanderSyndrome should learn to fight their own battles]], while men are told that they should smile more, that they're [[StayInTheKitchen not fit to do "women jobs"]], and that [[PermaShave body hair on them is ugly]]. There's even an [[UsefulNotes/{{Feminism}} organization trying to fight for men's rights]] by overthrowing the current system, that they see as oppressive and unequal.
527** One notable scene is the duel between Benoit and Kaylane, during which she ends up [[DefeatByModesty undressing him]] before assaulting him. This was inspired by a very similar scene from ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' in which Alejandro does this to Elena, which the author for the comic notes rarely made anyone bat an eye. The gender inversion of the scene was meant to point at the DoubleStandard at play; without going into detail, it certainly succeeded in causing reactions and discussion from readers. Kaylane later gets chewed on by Irvine regarding her attitude, the latter telling her [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech quite angrily]] that she has no right to treat men the way she does. His argument pretty much straight-up matches real-life feminist arguments on the matter, only with the genders reversed.
528---> '''Irvine:''' Listen to me! The fact that he's dressed like this does not grant you the right to touch him! He's not some piece of meat or toy that you can take advantage of as you please! Got it? Might he be naked, you'd still have no right over his body!
529** The character arc of Prince Aurel is particularly heavy on feminist themes. He desires to become a nurse, despite people around him (including his mother and his best friend), telling him that it is a woman's job, and suggesting that he should focus on more manly interests such as embroidery or singing. He is told that all great nurses in history were women, which he finds absurd since [[CircularReasoning men are never actually given a chance to be nurses]]. Even after proving himself a competent nurse, one man refuses to let him attend to his daughter, for the sole reason that he is a man. Needless to say, this mirrors many of the obstacles faced in real life by women trying to get into male-dominated fields. In the French version, Aurel also insists on being called a "soignant", the masculine form of "nurse", despite [[InsistentTerminology other characters insisting]] that it is "soignante", the feminine form. This actually mirrors a real debate among French speakers, as several professions such as doctor ("docteur"), professor ("professeur"), chief ("chef"), or author ("auteur") lack a feminine form. The official rule is that the name should remain masculine even when applied to a woman, while feminists have been fighting to introduce feminine forms for years ("docteure/doctoresse", "professeure/professeuse", "cheffe", "auteure/autrice"). Aurel being told that "it sounds wrong" is also a common real-life argument made against those new words.
530** The book-exclusive chapter of Volume 2 touches upon another important feminist topic, that being the invisibilization of women. Said story features Alberta, the younger sister of Queen Ariane, who proves to be an exceptionally talented researcher and practitioner to the point of overshadowing the Queen herself. It's eventually shown that [[spoiler:her husband has been helping her in her research and coming up with cures for her patients behind the scenes, yet she consistently took all of the credit for it]]. This mirrors an unfortunate reality of women's work having historically had the credit of their work taken by men, with infamous examples including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mileva_Marić Mileva Marić]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Ball Alice Ball]], or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin Rosalind Franklin]].
531* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is a Webcomic featuring a female protagonist and a fairly even distribution of male-to-female supporting and minor characters, which are almost always shown to be on par with their male counterparts. Both male and female characters are the subject of heroism, captivity, villainy, general badassery, and fanservice in approximately equal ratios.
532* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' is pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a comic about those with superpowers, and the majority of the prominent characters are women.
533* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' concerns Allison, an average twentysomething woman from Los Angeles being given the [[CosmicKeystone Master Key to the Universe]] and (unknowingly) becoming TheChosenOne prophecied to save it from [[BigBadEnsemble the Seven Black Emperors]]. However, for still-unknown reasons the Prophecy says the chosen one is male, leading to the protagonist's boyfriend [[DistressedDude being taken as the true Chosen One and kidnapped by the Emperors]], who are confused as to why the Chosen One has no power to stop them and believe Allison is some kind of feint intended to mature and bring the Master Key to him. All of Allison's companions are either women (Cio, Nyave, and Princess) or have NoBiologicalSex but are implied to want to be female (82 White Chain) [[spoiler:who later becomes a full angel-to-human trans woman]]. [[spoiler:Finally, the comic is set in a GroundhogDayLoop where TheChosenOne has failed to fulfill the Prophecy over and over again at the same point during TheHerosJourney, necessitating the resetting of time. Said Chosen has always been male up to this cycle, and it's implied TheChooserOfTheOne decided to choose Allison in an attempt to rectify this.]]
534* ''Webcomic/MagickChicks'' is an ongoing UrbanFantasy which is set at a OneGenderSchool for [[DemonSlaying monster hunters in training]].
535** The series is actually a SpinOff for the Hellrune Coven, [[BlondeBrunetteRedhead a witch trio]] who were expelled from [[Webcomic/EerieCuties Charybdis Heights]] and transferred to Artemis Academy. Melissa is the Coven's leader and is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler: half witch/half MagicalGirl]].
536** The academy's [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil student council]] consists of the 7 most powerful students at the school, which includes: Callista, the captain of the school's Archery Club, whose ImprobableAimingSkills have earned her the nickname [[RedBaron "Deadeye Archer"]]. Tandy is captain of the [[{{ninja}} Ninja Club]], and [[StudentCouncilPresident their president]], Faith Abbot, is [[SuperpowerLottery the most powerful]] [[PsychicPowers esper]] in its history.
537* ''Webcomic/{{Namesake}}'' has Emma, a female protagonist that is [[YouCantFightFate thrown into a pre-written story]] where she's expected to fulfill a role, yet still constantly makes her own decisions and can actually be quite bossy in order to make things work out and [[PromotionToParent return to her sister about whom she cares deeply]]. The comic has more female than male characters altogether, and most of them show to have qualities such as being the ActionGirl, mature and well-informed, strong-willed and/or magically gifted, and they handle situations pretty well without male guidance. The BigBad is a man and both cunning and powerful, but he's often in the background, while his minions are for the larger part an AmazonBrigade (including a trans woman) with only a few male co-workers and are far more active.
538* ''[[http://www.priyashakti.com/ Priya's Shakti]]'' is an independent comic produced in an effort to address sexual assault and Rape Culture in India. The story follows Priya, a young woman who is cast out of her home and community after being assaulted. The Goddess [[Myth/HinduMythology Parvati]] incarnates into the young woman in answer to her prayers but finds that humanity continues to shun and abuse Priya. This enrages Shiva, who curses mankind until his wife intervenes to save them. Blessed with the Goddess' power, Priya journeys to fight for dignity and compassion, bringing hope to the world once more. The series includes special codes that unlock "Augmented Reality" content, featuring the stories of real survivors.
539%%* ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist:'' ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
540[[/folder]]
541
542[[folder:Web Original]]
543* ''Blog/LimyaaelsFantasyRants'' [[https://limyaael.livejournal.com/178080.html Feminist fantasy rant]]. Although she considers herself a feminist, Limyaael critiques tropes she sees in a lot of these, such as portraying women as inherently [[WomenAreWiser smarter]], [[CloserToEarth more virtuous]] and even [[{{Matriarchy}} them ruling]] as ideal. Limyaael particularly dislikes those which (ironically enough, given feminist criticism of this) use [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes Rape Tropes]] poorly, overusing she thinks RapeAsDrama, ChildByRape, simply using RapeAndSwitch at all, MadonnaWhoreComplex and GirlsVsBoysPlot. In general, she thinks these give feminism a bad name, and fall into [[StopBeingStereotypical unfortunate stereotypes]] [[DoesNotLikeMen of feminists]] that such works perpetuate.
544* ''Literature/{{Mirrorworld}}'' by Scraggle is a story about Vita Lynere, a young teen who becomes trapped in the bizarre world of Inoptica, in a twisted sort of ''Alice in Wonderland'' take off. What sets it apart is the story becomes about Vita, her struggles and character, as she grapples with both the terrible situations she's been thrust into, as well as her anxiety over her life back on earth, culminating in how Vita develops and bonds with the residents of Inoptica, particularly her [[CoolBigSis sisterly relationship]] with the young 'Day Vamp Wigavat, and it doesn't hurt that the story includes a number of other complex and capable female characters as well.
545[[/folder]]
546
547[[folder:Western Animation]]
548* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': The series follows the adventures of a brave, smart, and ultimately good-natured teenage girl named Anne Boonchuy. Her culture as a Thai-American is explored in various episodes and her arc in season 1 is of her unlearning her initially toxic beliefs about friendship. Anne's friends, Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu, play a fairly large role in season 2 and have similar arcs about unlearning toxic behaviors and growing as people.
549* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': This series features a number of women in prominent and major roles as equal as their male counterparts, with [[GenderIsNoObject gender not being an issue]]. All of them are given unique character designs, goals, and characterization. The closest person to being a protagonist is a young woman who is one of the strongest and morally noble people in the show.
550* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has numerous diverse women with their own personalities, character arcs, and strengths without being subjected to just a love interest or plot device.
551** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the sequel to the above series, exploits its predecessor's CashCowFranchise credentials, to be more "girl power"-oriented by dint of taking the risk of basing a children's action show around a female protagonist. It worked out; the boy viewers didn't care that the main character was a girl because they knew she was awesome. The original series had six recurring female characters with distinctive stories, and a few episodes with explicit feminist themes, which is cemented in the final season. Multiple women of all ages - particularly Korra, Su, Lin, and the series' first female BigBad, Kuvira - are the ones to drive the plot, with the male characters taking a supporting role. Asami becomes TheLancer to Korra [[spoiler: and the two even have a RelationshipUpgrade]].
552* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'' has the main character as an intelligent, athletic famous thief who rarely loses and uses her skills to stop the main evil organization. There are also women with different body types, ethnicity, and personality types.
553* ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' is spearheaded by Creator/LaurenFaust, a name you'll see much of as this section continues. As the title suggests, it follows six heroines from DC Comics [[HighSchoolAU reimagined as high school students]]. They have wildly different personalities but have a common drive to serve their city and consistently support each other, a reflection of Faust's "there's no 'wrong' way to be a girl" philosophy. Apart from MonsterOfTheWeek situations, the majority of the villains are also female, and nearly every episode passes UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest. Consider the show's TitleDrop moment: after the heroines have saved the city, a group of preteen girls cheer, amazed to see a group of superhero girls.
554* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': The story focuses on a RebelliousPrincess ActionGirl Bean, who defies the roles of medieval society to upper-class women while [[ComingOfAgeStory finding herself]]. Bean is also a main female character who is notably less sexualized than usual, being fairly average looking, lacking any curvy silhouette, and preferring an efficient, simple, and practical tunic/pants/boots outfit (although she does show some attractive curves in the dresses she wears on special occasions).
555* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' in which the main protagonist's story isn't about finding romance but about training to become a proper Queen in the future. She gives and receives support from various female characters, with none of them getting into an awkward LoveTriangle.
556* ''WesternAnimation/GlitchTechs'': One of the main protagonists is a female, whose video game skills are noted to be above excellent, even besting the male protagonist, though he doesn't act embittered about it. There are numerous female supporting characters who are {{Action Girl}}s and their place is not questioned. Also, all of them are given distinct looks and are not carbon copies of each other.
557* ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob2021'' follows Reagan, a super-genius female main character as she tries to keep all the secrets of the United States a secret. Uniquely for a female protagonist, Reagan is allowed to be as flawed, vulgar, and messy as any of the male main characters
558* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' broke the norm with the girl who can "do anything"; kickass females on the front lines, and in a Creator/DisneyChannel action series, no less.
559* The ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' has two of those:
560** Short "Sonnie's Edge" features a confident and tough-as-nails rape survivor who participates in {{Kaiju}} BeastlyBloodSports and relishes bringing toxic, powerful men down a peg both inside and outside the arena.
561** Unlike the short story it's based on (whose main theme is OccupiersOutOfOurCountry), "Good Hunting" is primarily about Yan becoming an android vigilante after all the mistreatment she received throughout her life from various men.
562* ''WesternAnimation/MayaAndTheThree'': follows the adventures of a teenage Mesoamerican princess as she unites a team to defeat the cruel gods. The other female characters are given their own agency and characterization along with the males.
563* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' shows that feminist works can find a wide audience. While the franchise has always been aimed at girls, and creator Creator/LaurenFaust created the cast as a way to remove generic "niceness" from the characterization of girls and avoid the problems inherent in having one girl in a cast[[note]] (she described one of the major themes as being ''how many different ways there are to be a girl'')[[/note]], the show is written to be enjoyed equally [[ParentalBonus by parents]] and kids alike, and succeeds beautifully. It may be the only Western girls' cartoon that has inspired raiding threads on Website/FourChan.
564* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The main character is an openly [[UsefulNotes/{{Bisexual}} bisexual]] teenage girl of Dominican descent taking a journey to be a great Witch and her teacher is a famous and powerful Witch named Eda Clawthorne, who is on the run from the tyrannical authoritarian government of the setting. Most of the main character's notable relationships are those with other women, most notably [[spoiler:[[LipstickLesbian Amity Blight]]]] who becomes one of her best friends [[spoiler: and [[ComingOfAgeQueerRomance later on]] [[OfficialCouple her]] ''[[InterspeciesRomance girlfriend]]'']].
565* ''WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators'' has a gender-equal team of two girls and two boys in the titular group of paranormal investigators, with one of the girls (Daemona) serving as the team leader (with Kira, the other girl, serving as TheLancer). The fact that the leader of the team is a girl is never made a big deal in the series and both girls are shown to be very smart and resourceful.
566* ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The entire series is based around cute, five-year-old little girls being badass, and their femininity, or lack of it, is not shown as a [[RealWomenDontWearDresses bad thing]]. The series encountered controversy over an episode featuring a StrawFeminist villain named Femme Fatale. She stole only Susan B. Anthony coins and convinced the girls that men were their enemies -- leading the girls to let her go and begin acting hostile towards the guys in their lives. Ms. Bellum, Mrs. Keane, and a female police officer pulled the girls aside, teaching them about equality and helping expose Femme Fatale as a hypocrite who injured female officers during her crimes and didn't know anything about Susan B. Anthony's role in history. Some felt the episode mocked feminism, while others praised the focus on equality and learning about historical figures. [[WordOfGod Lauren Faust herself mentions she feels the topic wasn't handled well in the episode]].
567* ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'', with its BadassAdorable heroine and numerous MagicalGirl elements that celebrate traditionally feminine aspects as sources of strength. Even before gaining her color-based magical powers and CoolHorse, Wisp was brave and determined, as well as quick-thinking. As Rainbow Brite, she's loved by all of Rainbowland and saves the universe alongside JerkWithAHeartOfGold Krys in the DarkerAndEdgier movie.
568* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Although Jet, [[NoBiologicalSex a male-presenting alien]], is the main character, the series has an EnsembleCast and so girl characters like [[ActionMom Celery]], [[MsImagination Sydney]] and [[ConstantlyCurious Mindy]] get extensive focus. Many of the characters' parents are also successful women in STEM, something never questioned or mocked. Sydney and Mindy don't exist solely to be friends with Jet, they also stand on their own and are crucial to the plot. Each of the female characters has a [[CastOfSnowflakes unique design]]. The series had the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media as part of its advisory board along with a mostly female writing team[[note]]Three women - Rachel Lipman, Christie Insley, and Michelle Lamoreaux; two men - Craig Bartlett and Joe Purdy[[/note]], resulting in it being quite feminist.
569* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "Never Ricking Morty". Morty has to tell a story that passes UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest in order to save Rick's life ([[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext long story]]). The story involves his sister Summer and mother Beth having a [[StylisticSuck stiltedly random]] conversation that avoids any reference to men whatsoever. When Morty finishes the story, Rick remarks that it was a "feminist masterpiece". What's especially ironic is that the show usually fails the aforementioned test.
570* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' reboots the iconic 1980s series, carrying its feminist message to a new generation. The series is noteworthy for re-imaging the cast with practical costumes and a variety of body types and racial characteristics. Instead of simply being a title, the titular Princesses are defined by their powerful magical abilities and their roles in protecting Etheria. The show also analyzes the different relationships (both positive and negative) between its female characters while also incorporating positive LGBTQ themes.
571* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' paved the way for many of the above shows, being a spin-off of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' created to appeal to a female audience. The titular heroine is the long-lost sister of He-Man and gains a magical sword that grants her the same superhuman powers he possesses. She is every bit her brother's physical equal who uses brains ''and'' brawn to save the day. The cast is [[WorldOfActionGirls primarily female]], with many involved in the [[LaResistance Great Rebellion]] battling to free Etheria from the tyrant, Hordak. Unlike its sibling series, the Rebellion is at a constant disadvantage and must overcome through a combination of martial strength, intelligence, and inspiring the oppressed citizens to stand up for themselves. Like many MagicalGirl series, typical elements of femininity are celebrated as sources of strength and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength are all treated as equally important traits. The generation that grew up with She-Ra went on to be the audience of other major series, such as [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]].
572* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' is a MagicalGirl high/urban fantasy centering on Star Butterfly, the princess of Mewni, a kingdom whose line of succession and study of magic is matriarchal, meaning that only the women in the family are eligible to wield the royal magic wand and be the ruling monarch. Her entire family is composed of RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething, with her various "grandmas" being warriors, scholars, or diplomats, all with different morals and distinct personalities. While standard teenage romance drama does pop up, it's portrayed far more realistically[[note]]Excruciating to go through or witness[[/note]] than is usual. The show does deal with gendered issues such as arranged marriage, infidelity, misogyny, and motherhood, but primarily focuses on Star realizing the EvilColonialist history of her family and subjects, the real dynamics of the Monster/Mewman conflict, and the choices her family has made over generations that continue to affect the kingdom in the present. The show, in a similar vein to other MagicalGirl shows, utilizes feminine objects as tools of power, namely the royal magic wand that changes form depending on who holds it. Although for many queens it looks like a conventional MagicalGirl wand[[note]]while being visually distinct[[/note]], it has uniquely turned into a clock, a cane, a laser sword, a parasol, a goblet, a magic 8 ball, a puzzle cube, a pen, and a rolling pin. Star herself is an extremely powerful witch with a balance of strengths and weaknesses who matures throughout the series as she's forced to confront more and more complex political and interpersonal issues.
573* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is a ground-breaking series for its LGBT representation, predominantly feminine cast, and complete dismantling of traditional gender roles. The series presents a young male hero who is following his late mother's legacy and is defined by his emotional depth and desire to resolve conflicts through open communication and empathy instead of violence. The Crystal Gems are a group of feminine-presenting aliens with diverse body types and unique personalities, all working together to defend Steven as his caretakers and protect the earth from invasion. There is a prominent lesbian couple, who share an on-screen kiss and further broke ground by getting their own wedding episode. As the bond between Steven and Connie develops, she becomes a skilled ActionGirl who wields his mother's sword while Steven uses her shield as a BarrierWarrior. The series encourages children to be themselves, breaking down stereotypical roles and toxic ideas about masculinity '''and''' femininity. It teaches girls to be confident and love themselves while presenting them with an incredibly diverse range of women to look up to. It also actively teaches young boys that kindness, empathy, emotional vulnerability, and "feminine" behaviors or looks are not shameful or weak. The series presents a boy who has worn makeup and dresses, cries openly, tries to befriend his enemies, and looks to women as protectors and as inspirational figures.
574* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' features Sam, Alex, and Clover -- three {{Ordinary High School Student}}s who happen to be super-spies that regularly save the world. Their high-tech gadgets are often things like makeup or accessories, turning the feminine into powerful tools that help take down villains or escape various dangers. Typical teenage drama about romance, cute boys, fashion, and dealing with the resident AlphaBitch are combined with James Bond-styled action and heroics. WordOfGod admits to being inspired by the anime ''Literature/DirtyPair'', another series about female spies.
575* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': A MagicalGirl type of series that focuses on a group of different young girls, all with different ethnicities and interests who each go through their own character arcs. And while all of them have romances they are not the main issue for any of them, and they strongly believe in ThePowerOfFriendship.
576* Similar to the original comic book being a MagicalGirl series created by westerners, the animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'' is essentially a western MagicalGirl series.
577[[/folder]]

Top