Royals Who Actually Do Something in Western Animation.
- A villainous example is the Queen of the Crown from Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers. She is attempting to hold together a large and crumbling Evil Empire, and is doing well enough at it to pose serious threats to most of the galaxy. Several episodes, including "Mindnet", show that she is a capable and lethal sorceress and her favorite bit of Magitek, the Psychocrypt, is used for stripping the souls out of compatible beings, mashing them down for Life Energy, and using them to create constructs through which she can see and hear — administering her empire personally.
- Adventures of the Gummi Bears:
- King Gregor is a man of action, leading his troops in the field, actively ruling his people, and seeking out problems among the people of Dunwin.
- Princess Calla takes after him, as well as being a Pretty Princess Powerhouse. When King Gregor holds a contest for a squire (not a page, which means Cavin's out) to attend on the princess full-time, Calla enters the contest in disguise and trounces everyone's butts. Her dad approves when he finds out.
- In The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Prince Arin personally goes out to find his sister, Aruzia, after she's kidnapped. Later in the series, both take an active part in helping their subjects during a drought, as do their parents the King and Queen.
- Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time works actively to help her kingdom and occasionally get Finn and Jake out of trouble. Finn also tried to do this after being Offered the Crown of the goblin kingdom, but they really didn't want an active monarch.
- The Earl of Lemongrab is a negative example of this trope. His short but disastrous reign of the Candy Kingdom shows just how dangerous it is to have somebody inexperienced (or just plain ignorant) in power. All he wanted was an orderly, quiet, clean kingdom, but he went about it in a way that was completely BEYOND wrong. (He imprisoned everybody for one million years!)
- The Ice King, if you sort of stretch it. He doesn't really have any subjects other than penguins, but in the pitch documents it's said that he was the one who shaped all of the mountains, and built his own ice castle. He spends a lot of time making fantastical ice creatures and changing the weather. How does that really benefit anyone, if he doesn't rule over anyone? It doesn't — but it's still awesome. The Ice Kingdom seems to be doing well for what it is.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender:
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender, royalty tends to be this more often than not, especially since the war with the Fire Nation made being an idle royal a bad idea. Even the demure Princess Yue joins with the Moon spirit to save it. About the only royal who truly didn't fit this was the Earth Kingdom king, who was kept in the dark due to an Evil Chancellor.
- King Bumi is an excellent example of “royals who actually do something”. He’s a 112-year-old King who is one of the most powerful Earthbenders. Despite his age, he reclaims the city of Omashu from Fire Nation rule singlehandedly during the solar eclipse. He also joins the final battle to help reclaim Ba Sing Se.
- The Legend of Korra: General Iroh, Zuko's grandson and the current Fire Lord's (Zuko's daughter) son. Also, he doesn't serve in the Fire Nation's army, but in the United Forces army with members from all the nations.
- Zuko himself is traveling the world during this time as an ambassador for peace. He's in his late eighties and it's not slowing him down at all.
- In one episode of the animated adaptation of Babar, Babar and Rataxes switch roles and rule each other's kingdoms for a day. When he arrives at Babar's palace, Rataxes is aghast to find that Babar spends most of his time actually governing Celesteville.
- Birdman (1967) episode "The Empress of Evil". The prince of the Maja Raja saves the day when he gives Birdman a diamond from his turban that he says came from the sun god, Ra.
- Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood:
- There's King Friday and Prince Wednesday. Prince Tuesday seems particularly fond of doing low-level work as a hobby (babysitter, waiter, grocery clerk, etc.).
- "King Daniel for a Day" is about Daniel learning that being king is not simply about getting your way and bossing people around.
- In Dave the Barbarian, King Throktar and Queen Glimia of Udrogoth are currently off trying to defeat all evil in the entire world (it's taking a while)—while they're gone, Princess Candy (their oldest daughter and the oldest of their three children) is in charge of running the kingdom while Prince Dave (their middle child and only son) is in charge of defending the kingdom. Candy and Dave also have the help of Princess Fang (their sister and the youngest of Throktar and Glimia's children) and and Oswidge (Candy, Dave and Fang's uncle through Glimia's side of the family).
- In DC Showcase: Green Arrow (a short that appeared on the Superman / Shazam! DVD), when Green Arrow took an arrow in the leg from Merlyn while rescuing 10-year-old Princess Perdita of Vlatava from an assassination plot, the young princess, who had kept her head throughout the ordeal, applied a field bandage to Green Arrow's wound. She also encouraged Black Canary to accept Green Arrow's marriage proposal.
- The Martian Queen in Duck Dodgers isn't a combatant, but man can she sing.
- In Elena of Avalor, Elena considers it her duty to serve the people, and as shown in every episode, she means it. She's even invited by a neighboring king to teach his son how to be a proper royal.
- From Futurama: I AM LRRR! Ruler of Omicron Persei 8! I have no problem leading an invasion on Earth, or eating a smelly hippie!
- The Galaxy Trio. Gravity Girl is the princess of her home planet, but chooses to explore the galaxy as a superhero and leave the ruling to the rest of her family.
- And then there are all the Royals Who Actually Do Something in Gargoyles:
- You have Princess Katherine, who actively protected the Gargoyle eggs from destruction, and shot Demona for attacking her clan.
Princess Katherine: Nobody hurts my eggs!- Then there is Macbeth, who has spent over nine hundred years becoming one of the greatest warriors alive, and he was actively involved in battles to protect his wife and son.
- There is King Arthur, who once he is woken up by Elisa, hands Macbeth's ass to him on a platter and searches the world for his friend and mentor, Merlin.
- On the non-human side of things, we have Titania, who spent the last century studying science and actively manipulating her former/current husband, Oberon, to allow the Gargoyles to remain on Avalon and to allow her grandson to remain with his family rather than be dragged to Avalon and separated from his parents.Fox: That still doesn't change what you tried to do.
Titania: What makes you think this wasn't exactly what I had planned from the beginning? - Oberon, who goes out himself to find his wife Titania and his servant Puck and bring them back to Avalon, and personally fought the gargoyles on Avalon when he decided didn't want them staying there. He lost, so he covered his tail by naming them official Avalon guardians.
- On Goldie & Bear, after pulling the sword out of the stone and being crowned king, Bear soon learns that being king means he's supposed to make decisions that help everyone solve their problems. He soon ends up with two long lines: one of supplicants waiting for advice and one with folks unhappy with the decisions he's already made. Fortunately for him, it turns out that the stone with the sword in it was broken such that anyone could easily pull out the sword. He was never supposed to be king.
- Masters of the Universe:
- She-Ra: Princess of Power:
- Glimmer was leader of the Etherian Rebellion before Adora showed up, and once saved a group of cutoff rebels via surprise attack on the Horde forces surrounding them.
- Adora rapidly became leader of the Rebellion after joining. (Her "I was just under a spell" and being Adam's sister apparently being enough of a credential check and counter to her time in the Horde.) She coordinates plans, discusses where forces will be most effective, and everyone comes or is led to her when they need the Rebellion's help. She's effective even without her sword.
- While Adam is a wuss on his home planet as part of his attempt to keep his secret identity intact, on Etheria, away from prying eyes, he kicks butt. On his very first visit, he trounces four or five Horde soldiers who are causing grief in the small village he's visiting. This gets him both the Rebellion and the Horde's attention. (And no one ever questions why He-Man only shows up while Adam is visiting.)
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983):
- Randor once went to town on a room full of Killer Robots to aid in his own rescue from Snake Mountain; He-Man was impressed and assured him that "Adam" would have been, too.
- Marlena was an astronaut and Ace Pilot in her backstory and once saved her family and friends by owning Skeletor and his forces in an aerial battle.
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002): The 2002 version of King Randor successfully rules Eternia. In addition to his diplomatic prowess, he is a highly capable swordfighter and former captain of the royal guard.
- The 2017 reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power uses this as a major source of conflict. Glimmer is a bit of a Blood Knight who wants to get out and fight the Horde. Her mother, Angella, is far more passive, to the point of inaction. She has her reasons, the previous version of the Princess Alliance fell apart and her husband died in the war, but Glimmer resents her for doing basically nothing to combat the Horde. In Season 4, Glimmer is forced into a far more passive role following her mother's death and her ascension to the throne due to being too important. She obviously hates this, and it causes a split with her friends when they insist that she stay behind. This, combined with her resentment of Adora for not preventing Angella's death and the influence of Shadow Weaver causes Glimmer to take several... inconsiderate steps, such as sending Adora as a distraction without her knowing and ordering Adora and Bow to stay behind rather than go rescue their lost friend. Once Adora and Bow disobey her direct orders, the split between them grows so large that Glimmer goes ahead with a plan almost everyone agreed would be too risky, due to her desire to end the war.
- She-Ra: Princess of Power:
- Hurricanes:
- Prince Rupert of Mulravia is also a soccer player. His father was one as well.
- Given the kind of power and influence the Garkos Family has over the Island of Garkos, Stavros Garkos, his brother Spiro Garkos and his sister Melinda Garkos are also examples of this trope. Stavros' niece, who expected to obtain a vice-presidency in Garkos Enterprises in exchange for helping him with one of his plots, might also qualify.
- The Little King in the Van Beuren Studios theatrical cartoons, who often takes the initiative to do something in his own hands, including fighting his own assailant in "The Fatal Note".
- The source films are vague on what kings do however The Lion Guard shows that it is more than just a title. Simba is shown advising over events and going to funerals. Meanwhile, his son Kion leads a protection unit that helps animals in need. Queen Rani of the Tree of Life also counts, as she leads the Night Pride protecting the tree. Kion eventually becomes her mate and the king.
- My Little Pony:
- ''My Little Pony 'n Friends': Rosedust, the queen of the Flutter Ponies, is the one to lead the charge when the Flutter Ponies take action. The six princesses of Ponyland also go on a "save the world" quest. In the UK Comics, Majesty (the Queen of Ponyland, who never showed up in the cartoon) was very proactive on the "kicking evil's behind" thing. And her abilities could give Twilight Sparkle a run for her money.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic :
- Princess Celestia is, among other things, responsible for raising the sun and moon. Her younger sister Princess Luna resumes responsibility for the moon once she is freed from being Nightmare Moon. A milder example in Celestia's case is that she notably took up tutoring and technically raising the show's asocial bookworm hero, Twilight Sparkle, for the remainder of her childhood, as well as Spike. She is also consistently portrayed at having very little to no free time, as her official responsibilities often drag her away from things she'd rather be doing.
- The villainous Queen Chrysalis of the changelings, whose duties involve actively searching and providing food sources for her subjects. She also infiltrates Canterlot and leads the invasion on Equestria.
- Cadence's duties as the ruler of the Crystal Empire include raising a massive barrier to protect it should danger threaten it, and keep that barrier going until said evil is vanquished, no matter how long it takes. Sleep? This princess sleeps when the job is done, not before.
- Princess Luna is also the protector of dreams, meaning that she patrols ponies' dreams and vanquishes anything that could cause distress or fright.
- "Inspiration Manifestation": The Princesses seem to be at Equestria's beck and call to solve big magical problems: Twilight gets called to rescue two ponies from the crystallized gazebo, and Princesses Cadence and Luna assist her in fixing Rarity's messes in Ponyville later on.
- "Equestria Games": When the cloud falls, Celestia and Luna are seen entering the fray like all the pegasi. This picture proves it. Twilight (attending the games in a royal capacity, complete with crown) is also about to lend assistance, but Spike makes his move before she can act.
- "Twilights Kingdom Part 1": Deconstructed. Twilight spends most of the episode lamenting how she hasn't been given much to do as a princess other than "smile an wave" and unfurl a banner for some visiting dignitaries, and is especially distraught when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus. Twilight is finally given a role at the end of the episode when the other princesses inform her that they must rid themselves of their magic to protect it from Tirek.
- "Twilights Kingdom Part 2": After the Mane Six harness the Rainbow Power version of the Elements of Harmony, Twilight earns the title of "Princess of Friendship", with the role of spreading the Magic of Friendship across Equestria.
- "The Cutie Re-Mark": Celestia is seen leading the Royal Guards and Wonderbolts into battle due to history being altered by Starlight Glimmer so the Mane Six were not there to defeat King Sombra instead. Sombra also fights on the front lines against Celestia's forces.
- "The Crystalling": After Cadance and Shining Armor's new daughter unintentionally shatters the Crystal Heart with her crying, Celestia and Luna risk their own lives (and the future of Equestria if anything happens to them) to hold off the approaching blizzard for as long as they can. When they can do no more, they attempt to evacuate to avoid leaving Equestria leaderless and defenseless, but on the suggestion of one of Celestia's former students, they join their magic with Twilight's to restore the Crystal Heart, and succeed, saving the Crystal Empire, and their own lives in the process.
- My Little Pony: A New Generation: Unlike her mother and sister, Zipp refuses to live a pampered life as adored royal celebrities and tries to actually get things done. She actively researches how pegasi lost and could regain their ability to fly, and had discovered independently of Sunny and Argyle that the three tribes once coexisted with each other. When Sunny and Izzy told her how they might be able to return magic and unity to Equestria she jumps aboard without hesitation, and is the one who comes up with the plan on how Sunny and Izzy can sneak into the royal palace and get the Pegasus Crystal by swapping her mother's crown.
- Another villainous example: Princess Ingrid from Pierre et Isa, a series about the Winter Olympic Games. Sure, she is a bad loser and an inveterate cheater, but that doesn't change the fact that she is an actual princess who is also an Olympic games level athlete!
- In Princess Natasha, the royal family of Zoravia undertakes secret missions to keep the country safe.
- Samurai Jack:
- Jack himself is a prince, technically, but has lived in exile most of his life, due to Aku having destroyed his father's kingdom; he's devoted his life to defeating Aku and undoing the hellish future he's turned the world into.
- His father was no slouch either; as seen in "Birth of Evil", he kicked Aku's ass good, and this guy was Emperor of Japan.
- And there's Aku, the Shape-Shifting Master of Darkness who rules his future with an iron fist, and is seen demanding tribute from newly conquered peoples, usually in the form of regular commissions of new Aku-shaped structures, to remind all who runs things around here. Most metropolitan regions in the series feature Aku horns in the skyline.
- Minor example in the episode "Jack and the Spartans", the Spartan King is not only king, but leads the Spartan army against the invading robot horde. His son would lead the Spartans directly against Aku during the Grand Finale.
- In the Villain Episode "The Princess and the Bounty Hunters", there is Princess Mira, not just a princess but a Dark Action Girl and bounty hunter.
- Shimmer and Shine: Princess Samira of Zahramay Falls is in charge of supervising the genies-in-training.
- Storm Hawks: Master Cyclonis of Terra Cyclonia is the teenaged empress of the Cyclonian Empire who spends most of her time planning the conquering of the kingdoms of Atmos, and on the occasions she's taken up her staff to lead at the front she shows she's just as good at fighting as her best soldiers.
- In Tangled: The Series, the king and queen are shown doing their royal duties. In one special, they leave their daughter Rapunzel to take over while they're away on vacation for two days. Things don't go as planned and Rapunzel has to make many serious decisions.
- Teen Titans (2003):
- Except for the time she deposed her villainous sister from the throne, Starfire doesn't actually do much for her own planet, which she is a princess of. She even gave away the crown to her Parental Substitute almost as soon as she got it. Not because she's lazy (probably), but because she's much too busy doing something on planet Earth. In the comics, it was because she was sold into slavery as part of the peace agreement and could never return to Tamaran (and the former part was, at the very least, heavily implied in this series), otherwise the deal would be off and her people would wind up destroyed. Not like it didn't happen anyway...
- The titular ThunderCats were members of the nobility who were expected to be competent warriors who could protect the people. Commoners who demonstrated exceptional bravery and skill in this regard could even be promoted to this rank, such as with the New ThunderCats, and it was implied that Cheetara came from a similar background. (One of the not-so-Darker and Edgier Wildstorm comics expanded on this.) Then there was the Lord of the ThunderCats, who not only wielded the Sword of Omens, but had to prove his mettle by besting each of the ThunderCats in their area of expertise and defeat his most evil foe in combat without the help of said sword. He wasn't allowed to use the Sword. He won by smashing Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus, turning him to dust. At the end of the episode, the casket pulled itself back together, and Mumm-Ra's voice gave this chilling line...Mumm-Ra: As long as evil exists, Mumm-Ra lives. Mumm-Ra lives. Mumm-Ra lives!!!!
- Thunder Cats 2011: The revived series plays the Cats' Proud Warrior Race angle for all that it's worth and then some; it's implied that the only reason that the generals are the ones to lead Thunderan expedition armies is because the King, being the strongest swordsman and best strategist, stays behind to safeguard his kingdom, personally leading counter-charges when appropriate. Lion-O was seen as a disappointment because he was interested in rediscovering the mythical technology and seeking peace (or at least minimized hostility) with the other races, rather than keeping them in line with an iron fist.
- Voltron: Legendary Defender has Princess Allura, she acts as the Big Good and Mission Control of the team. While she is not a pilot like the Paladins, she hardly stays sat down on her throne: she works with Coran to re-organize and re-build the castle and it's mechanisms, she works to start an intergalactic alliance against Garla, is a perfectly capable fighter capable of opening a steel door with her bare hands, and has enough power to bring an almost dead animal of the size of a small planet back to life. So, you have to add that to Pretty Princess Powerhouse, bordering Messianic Archetype sometimes.
- In Winx Club we have Stella, the princess of Solaria, and Layla, the princess of Andros, both are powerful fairies in their own right. Bloom as well once realizing she's the lost princess of Domino. Roxy in Season 4 once finding out that Queen Morgana is her long lost mother. Sky is the prince of Eraklyon, but is also a fighter. Shown prominently when he's armed with the Sword of Domino.
- In W.I.T.C.H., Queen Elyon thought life after her coronation would be all rest and relaxation, but after finding out she actually had to run the kingdom's affairs and deal with its problems, she began longing for the "princess" part of being queen. This all on top of her role as the Heart of Meridian, giving her powers equal to those of the main heroines combined.
- Young Justice (2010): The first thing Queen Perdita of Vlatava does after life-threatening heart surgery is tell her supervillain uncle she's revoking his title and diplomatic immunity. That is one tough kid.
- Her uncle is a villainous example, actively working as the leader of the Injustice League and agent of the Light prior to his arrest. And speaking of which, two members of the Light are royal: Queen Bee and Ocean-Master/Prince Orm.
- Zak Storm: Cece, the first mate of the 7C's, is an Atlantean princess. She is also an accomplished and very skilled marksman and martial artist who is not afraid to put her skills to use. In fact, she is considered to be one of the strongest fighters of the 7C's alongside her captain Zak Storm.
