History DamselInDistress / AnimeAndManga

*** [[RobotGirl Android 18]] thankfully is a badass ActionGirl for the most part, though when Semi-Perfect Cell (blame ExecutiveMeddling for that) shows up and seeks to [[TheAssimilator absorb her]] (egh) she is fairly helpless and has to be unsuccessfully protected by Krillin and a reluctant Trunks (although to be fair, Cell devoured her brother first). Also in the Third Broly movie, she is overpowered and needs to be rescued by her now husband Krillin (though it's sweet moment). These cases are rare though, as she's stronger than her husband.

** Out of all of them, though, Kimie Arashiyama ''definitely'' gets hit with it the hardest. The poor girl clearly tries her best, even if that means [[ButtMonkey things blowing up in her face a lot]]. She's an assassin specialist (but not the kind that actually kills people) who seeks Gero's protection from an assassin hunting other assassins. Then once that's taken care of, she gets poisoned and has three days left to live, in which time they try to find an antidote for her. Then she gets kidnapped, rescued by Gero, and then kidnapped ''again''. [[spoiler:And then on top of that, it turns out that Gero saved her once when they were children, but [[ForgottenFirstMeeting he doesn't remember]]]]. Though [[spoiler:she does manage to organize a prison break at the end of the arc.]]

* Invoked (and played with a bit) in ''Manga/{{Marriagetoxin}}''. The series centers around lonely bachelor and professional assassin Hikaru Gero trying to find a wife. Only problem is that being raised as an assassin didn't exactly [[NoSocialSkills do his people skills any favors]]. Thankfully his friend and RomanticWingman Mei Kinosaki realizes that Gero's excellent combat skills can be put to use, and so actively seeks out girls that need saving in the hopes of kickstarting [[RescueRomance something more]]. Generally, most arcs focus around Gero trying to either protect or rescue his [[GirlOfTheWeek potential romantic partner]] with Kinosaki stopping him from tripping over himself. That said, the story always does make a point to show that his clients [[DamselOutOfDistress aren't completely helpless]].

* Invoked (and played with a bit) in ''Manga/{{Marriagetoxin}}''. The series centers around lonely bachelor and professional assassin Hikaru Gero trying to find a wife. Only problem is that being raised as an assassin didn't exactly [[NoSocialSkills do his people skills any favors]]. Thankfully his friend and RomanticWingman Mei Kinosaki realizes that Gero's excellent combat skills can be put to use, and so actively seeks out girls that need saving in the hopes of kickstarting [[RescueRomance something more]]. Generally, most arcs focus around Gero trying to either protect or rescue his [[GirlOfTheWeek potential romantic partner]] with Kinosaki stopping him from tripping over himself.

* Invoked (and played with a bit) in ''Manga/{{Marriagetoxin}}''. The series centers around unlucky bachelor (and professional assassin) Hikaru Gero trying to find a wife. Only problem is that being raised as an assassin didn't exactly [[NoSocialSkills do his social skills any favors]]. Thankfully his RomanticWingman Mei Kinosaki realizes that fighting is one of few things Gero is legitimately very good at, and so actively seeks out girls that need saving in the hopes of kickstarting [[RescueRomance something more]].

* Parodied in ''Manga/TheDevilKingIsBored'' when the titular Devil King kidnaps a kingdom's princess because he's, well, bored, and thinks that fighting some heroes would be fun. He even places a portal to hell in the middle of a populated town. With a sign above it that says "Portal to Hell."
** Yoko more than once.
* Kasumi Haruno in ''Anime/TomicaHyperRescueDriveHeadKidouKyuukyuuKeisatsu''. Being TheHero's love interest, she winds up as victim-of-the-week three times. However, the third time she does [[DamselOutOfDistress help with the rescue.]]
** Once again in the movie, rescuing her becomes a major plot point when she becomes trapped inside the body of the BigBad.
** Sasagawa also needs rescuing four times, but it is not nearly as glaring in her case, given that she appears much more frequently than Kasumi and usually avoids trouble. It's also done half the time as an excuse for Karigari [[PetTheDog to be heroic]].

* Aura's kidnapping is the [[SaveThePrincess drive]] behind most of volume 2 and 3 of ''Literature/{{Corsair}}'', however, being a PluckyGirl she doesn't act overly distressed about it or her impending execution, [[spoiler:and when Ayace finally shows up to rescue her, her reaction is: "[[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike You're late!]]"]]

* In the later ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' novels, Kaname turns into an extreme Damsel in Distress. She may have more or less given up for a while after the events of Continuing On My Own, but it's only a temporary thing, and it's not that long before she starts to regain some of her old vigor and determination. [[spoiler:After that she ends up being more or less mind controlled by Sophia aka the First Whispered Ever, but that's a bit of a different matter.]]

* ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'' has no shortage of this due to the MarsNeedsWomen nature of goblins. However, the experience is treated as much more traumatizing than most examples, and unfortunately not every damsel is saved.

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': While the UnscrupulousHero Akira and the SupportingLeader Sheryl are a BrainsAndBrawn couple with Akira being the ActionHero and Sheryl the GuileHero, as the main non-ActionGirl, she ends up getting stuck as this, but it’s PlayedWith some.
** When Sheryl’s relic shop is being robbed, Sheryl [[DefiedTrope realizes something is wrong and runs away just in time]] to foil the robbers planned HostageSituation, getting a BridalCarry out of the area by Akira before he gets to work on them.
** Played straight when TheMole in her gang Selba holds her at gunpoint. Akira pulls a DistractAndDisarm gambit to save her.
** When Sheryl is used as TheBait to get Akira to dismantle an NGOSuperpower gang and held hostage, the info terminal Akira gifted Sheryl due to having impressed him with it serves as a TrackingDevice to find her, and their call over it [[WeNeedADistraction serves as a distraction]] for Akira breaching the room and killing her captors.

* Akiko in ''Literature/ShonenOnmyouji'' gets her moment when a group of demons kidnap her in order to use her blood to heal their master, as well as lead Masahiro into a trap. Of course in the end either Masahiro or Akiko would have been enough to heal their master, but Masahiro has some pretty steller spiritual powers in terms of combat so is more of a threat.
** She was pretty much asking for it really. She followed Masahiro out at night, despite the fact that Masahiro had specifically directed her to stay in her room so she could be protected by the spiritual barrier his grandfather had erected.

* In the second arc of ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', Asuna is still trapped in cyberspace in a different game under control of a domineering GameMaster. While said GameMaster has had months to wear her down and use his admin privileges to stop any plot she devises, the contrast between her hardcore persona in the first arc and the helpless damsel in the second was taken poorly by some fans.

* ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'': Played with. Every time Chi is kidnapped or [[NearRapeExperience assaulted]], she [[spoiler:, or more precisely, Freya]] has already [[CurbStompBattle stomped their asses]] by by the time Hideki is close to finding her; but when Hideki shows up at the scene, Chi [[FallingIntoHisArms falls into his arms]], thanks him for rescuing her, and ''{{faint|ing}}s''.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''

* ''Manga/{{Chobits}}: Played with. Every time Chi is kidnapped or [[NearRapeExperience assaulted]], she [[spoiler:, or more precisely, Freya]] has already [[CurbStompBattle stomped their asses]] by by the time Hideki is close to finding her; but when Hideki shows up at the scene, Chi [[FallingIntoHisArms falls into his arms]], thanks him for rescuing her, and ''{{faint|ing}}s''.

* Aura's kidnapping is the [[SaveThePrincess drive]] behind most of volume 2 and 3 of ''LightNovel/{{Corsair}}'', however, being a PluckyGirl she doesn't act overly distressed about it or her impending execution, [[spoiler: and when Ayace finally shows up to rescue her, her reaction is: "[[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike You're late!]]"]]

* In the later ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' novels, Kaname turns into an extreme Damsel in Distress. She may have more or less given up for a while after the events of Continuing On My Own, but it's only a temporary thing, and it's not that long before she starts to regain some of her old vigor and determination. [[spoiler:After that she ends up being more or less mind controlled by Sophia aka the First Whispered Ever, but that's a bit of a different matter.]]

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' has no shortage of this due to the MarsNeedsWomen nature of goblins. However, the experience is treated as much more traumatizing than most examples, and unfortunately not every damsel is saved.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':

** Most Princesses in One Piece are kidnapped or are frequently in danger. Vivi acknowledges that she isn't strong but still tries her best to save her county, [[spoiler:Rebecca due to a promise she made to her mother and her father [[OverprotectiveDad Kyros]] making sure she doesn't bloody her hands ''ever'' teaches her DeadlyDodging but this doesn't hold up when [[BigBad Domflamingo]] comes in to ruin Rebecca's day.]] And [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent Mermaid Shirahoshi]] gets captured throughout the Fishman island arc but in end gets a ability to [[TheBeastMaster control sea kings]] and is apparently one of the [[LostSuperweapon ancient weapons]] so she's not quite helpless but still acts like it for the majority of the time.

* In ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' [[TheChick Platinum]] initially seems to be the living embodiment of the trope, as she rarely goes '''ANYWHERE''' without getting herself into trouble. It was so obvious that [[IdiotHero Diamond]] was able to point out and lampshade this only after ''4 chapters into the story''; most anime and manga characters don't realise this sort of thing ''ever''.

* ''Manga/{{Chobits}}: Played with. Every time Chi is kidnapped or [[NearRapeExperience assaulted]], she [[spoiler:, or more precisely, Freya]] has already [[CurbStompBattle stomped their asses]] by by the time Hideki is close to finding her; but when Hideki shows up at the scene, Chi [[FallingIntoHisArms falls into his arms]], thanks him for rescuing her, and ''[[{{fainting}} faints]]''.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': While the UnscrupulousHero Akira and the SupportingLeader Sheryl are a BrainsAndBrawn couple with Akira being the ActionHero and Sheryl the GuileHero, as the main non-ActionGirl, she ends up getting stuck as this, but it’s PlayedWith some.

* Akiko in ''LightNovel/ShonenOnmyouji'' gets her moment when a group of demons kidnap her in order to use her blood to heal their master, as well as lead Masahiro into a trap. Of course in the end either Masahiro or Akiko would have been enough to heal their master, but Masahiro has some pretty steller spiritual powers in terms of combat so is more of a threat.

* In the second arc of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Asuna is still trapped in cyberspace in a different game under control of a domineering GameMaster. While said GameMaster has had months to wear her down and use his admin privileges to stop any plot she devises, the contrast between her hardcore persona in the first arc and the helpless damsel in the second was taken poorly by some fans.

* Iwai from TheSeveringCrimeEdge is doomed to this. She's small, weak, has little experience in the real world, and she's surrounded by serial killers with unbreakable super-weapons who can have any wish granted if they kill her. One could even argue that the organization that'd kept her for much of her life deliberately arranged her lifestyle to make her into a DID, since they love nothing more than gruesome crimes and moving stories like a hero rescuing a princess. That said, she does have some steel in her even if she can do little to fight back. One enemy who's obsessed with authority and power has Iwai nearly raped by several men, gets her beloved to attack her, then tries some mild torture when she finally reaches them. Despite everything, Iwai just stares at her enemy with defiant hate in her eyes, refusing to break under the torment.

* Played with in ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf''. Holo isn't a Damsel in Distress - in fact her counterpart Lawrence usually takes the part of the DistressedDude - but she's GenreSavvy enough to be well aware of the trope. She jokes around with Lawrence about him liking meek women he could comfort, and enthusiastically play-acts the part for him in jest. She even fools Amati into being her KnightInShiningArmor, [[ItAmusedMe largely for kicks]]. When she's genuinely crushed by the revelation that [[spoiler:Yoitsu has been destroyed]], she bitterly accuses Lawrence of hiding it from her because he liked seeing her helpless and ignorant.

* [[GenderFlip Gender-flipped]] in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' where [[DistressedDude Eren gets kidnapped three times in three different story arcs]]. Also subverted [[spoiler:Although she is also kidnapped, Historia (who is technically a princess) is the one to escape and also free Eren from captivity.]]