History Main / BadassAdorable

* Toothless from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', who takes cues from Stitch, is capable of going from badass to Adorable in the blink of an eye. It's all in the eyes. When he's happy to see you and wants to play, his pupils are HUGE, making him look adorable. [[BewareTheNiceOnes If he doesn't like you or if you present a danger to him or his rider, those pupils will narrow to vertical slits and will make you instantly regret becoming the target of his wrath.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' has at least a few of these.

* Many of the ''Website/GoAnimate'' troublemaking characters are kids, so there are bound to be many of these. They can destroy entire buildings on a whim, are strong enough to carry 1000 pound objects in videos where the troublemakers cause earthquakes (and in some videos, one jump they make is enough to start one), and are willing to kill anyone who dares to go against them. However, whenever an authority figure shows up and demands an explanation, their badassery vanishes and they surrender themselves to any punishment that may be given to them.

* ''{{WebAnimation/Helluva Boss}}'' has Millie. She’s a small, cute, [[GenkiGirl bubbly and cheerful]] [[CuteMonsterGirl imp woman]] who is usually quite sweet when off the clock. Her job? ''[[ProfessionalKiller Assassin]]'' - On the clock, she shows her AxeCrazy BloodKnight side [[CuteBruiser and the Wrath imp propensity for melee weapons and her bare hands.]] She’s capable of taking on a sea monster that [[DavidVersusGoliath positively dwarfs her]] by herself, [[OneManArmy and she’s made mincemeat out of a room full of trained agents]] while wielding a battle axe [[PintSizedPowerhouse twice her size]] without breaking a sweat, [[CasualDangerDialogue all while having a casual conversation with her boss.]] And '''''God''''' help you [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend if you insult, threaten or hurt her husband.]]

-> ''"He shouldn't be allowed to be that cute and that strong. It's not fair."''
-->-- '''Mei Sakura''' (on Negi Springfield), ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''

* The ''WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirls'' movies essentially translate the BadassAdorable tendencies of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic MLP:FIM]] characters into their human counterparts, leading to moments like the motocross.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* They turn up in the Creator/{{Key|VisualArts}}[[Creator/KyotoAnimation Ani]] adaptations, of all places.
** [[EmotionlessGirl Mai Kawasumi]] from ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}''. Even if the demons she fights every night are [[spoiler:emanations of her own powers resulting from her reluctance to embrace them]], you have to admit she's pretty [[ActionGirl handy with a sword]].
** Tomoyo Sakagami from ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}''. Just ask the local biker gangs. Or [[ButtMonkey Sunohara]].
** From the same series, Kyou Fujibayashi also qualifies as this.
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney:''
** Pearl Fey is a powerful candidate, since she's saved the day quite a few times by channeling Mia.
** For someone who is ostensibly the series' main DamselInDistress, Maya certainly makes herself useful under the direst situations.
** An [[CuteIsEvil evil]] example of this trope would be [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]]. Not everyone has the guts to [[spoiler:jump from a bridge into a river known for its deadly speed just to steal a jewel]].
** [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Athena Cykes]] is a CuteBruiser, being super cheery but also strong enough to judo toss an adult male from behind her.
** Ambassador Colias Palaeno from ''Investigations'', who manages to really grow on a lot of players, and who [[spoiler:shows up with a small army near the end and pressures the other country’s ambassador, [[BigBad Quercus Alba]], into staying put with thinly veiled threats]]. And he ''[[PerpetualSmiler keeps smiling while doing it]]''.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Echo}}'':
** Jenna is not only a cute short girl, but an anthropomorphic kit fox to boot. Not only is she academically brilliant and often the cast's voice of reason, but she accomplishes some very impressive stuff despite her petite stature, such as beating TheBigGuy Leo at a carnival high striker (mainly because [[WeakButSkilled she knows how they function]]), [[spoiler:handling high stress situations better than most of the cast such as when they're kidnapped by Brian, and even saving all of Echo by talking the absolutely hysterical Heather out of destroying the whole town by sabotaging the dam. It also helps her badassery that she seems to have a special connection with her monstrous childhood friend, the Socket Man, who teleports and can turn anyone into mincemeat with one touch. Less adorable is her badassery in the BadEnding to her route, where she talks Flynn into sniping Heather dead and then steals her father's dam blueprints and successfully destroys the town of Echo like Heather attempted.]]
** In Leo's route, Kudzu is a small raccoon who, nevertheless, lives in a sick trailer house and [[BigDamnHeroes rescues]] both Chase and Leo from the delusional and armed Duke and Brian, the latter being easily the largest character in the cast.
** In Jenna's route, Micha is a diminutive {{Twink}} who's also a fluffy bat. He is also a juvenile delinquent who has been fending for himself on the rough streets since he was basically a kid, and shows his experience by saving Leo and Chase from the huge bear Brian by beating the bastard in the face with a metal pipe. He is also easily the character who navigates the supernatural happenings around Echo the best, recognizing them as the work of "The Hum" his late friend Keith told him about.
* Most characters in ''VisualNovel/FarBeyondTheWorld'' are humanoid wolves each standing at around 7ft of height, but, out of them, the she-wolf Cora manages to come off as truly adorable. She has fluffy fur, a pretty smile and [[MsFanservice a nice figure]], and personality-wise she's [[NiceGirl kind, helpful, funny]] and a FriendToAllChildren. [[BewareTheNiceOnes However]], when Aldris and Dran threaten the frail human Caelan, Cora shows off the Badass part by pulling a knife on them to defend him, fearless towards the two people who got her own mother executed and, in general, are TheDreaded due to being cunning and good at getting rid of undesirables. To reiterate, Cora pulled a blade on the two people [[TheBigGuy Mother]].[[AxCrazy Fuckin']].[[TheDreaded Vulgor]]. is afraid of.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': Most of the cast counts, really. (Mion and Shion fall into CuteBruiser territory.)
** Rena, whose primary prerogative on a normal day is to [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe find cute things to take home]]. When pushed to protect herself or her friends, she can (non-fatally) swing around a cleaver like no one else.
** Satoko, [[MeaningfulName appropriately dubbed]] 'The Trap Master' by the rest of the cast, is somewhere between [[VagueAge 9 and 12]] years old and very frequently TheWoobie, yet she can trap, confuse or outright take out trained, fully grown men with minimal effort on her part.
** Rika, whose very presence in early arcs was [[TokenMiniMoe basically to say something cute]] for Rena to {{Squee}} over, proves herself to be this when she [[spoiler:goes it alone and tries to take out Shion with mace and a syringe. She failed, but it was still Badass. She's also Really700YearsOld and eventually becomes {{determin|ator}}ed to ScrewDestiny]].
** Hanyuu, a little girl around Rika's age, cute enough to be kidnapped by Rena ''three times in two minutes'', who is also [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss Oyashiro-sama]], a PhysicalGod who is promoted from TheVoice and TheScapegoat to a full cast member during the final arc]].
* The entire point of ''VisualNovel/KoihimeMusou'', but especially Kan'u. Even more so in the first game.
* The Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} is peppered with this trope.
** [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Arcueid]] from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' is more well known for being a bit [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} adorably ditzy]] than being sexy. Also known more for her [[PersonOfMassDestruction outrageously broken strength]].
** The ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' girls all have their moments.
** Ilya is probably the most prominent there. Of course, she also happens to be a complete (but intensely sympathetic) psychopath loli who [[NotAllowedToGrowUp isn't as young as she looks]].
** Some would even regard [[Literature/TheGardenOfSinners Shiki]] Ryougi as one.
* Rosemary from ''VisualNovel/RoseOfWinter'' is this in spades. She's a hopeless romantic, flusters easily, thinks "this is a bit of a pickle" is coarse language, and wants to be a knight not for the thrill of battle, but because she sees it as a way to help people. Which she does by swinging [[{{BFS}} a sword that would make Cloud Strife jealous]] at any and all gigantic wild animals that try to harm the prince she's sworn to protect.
* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'' has the PlayerCharacter Saori Shishido, a doll-like {{bifauxnen}} who arrives to Nagasaki as an ActionSurvivor who needs to hone her ninja skills ''fast'' so she can avenge her brother's death, but at the end of each route has grown into as a full-fledged ActionGirl whose boyfriends LOVE [[AmazonChaser how strong she has become]] AND [[CutenessProximity how adorable she is]].
* Veridadia from ''VisualNovel/YuminaTheEthereal'', who [[spoiler: can turn herself into a {{BFS}} capable of destroying anything in a single strike]].
[[/folder]]

** Connor is somewhat nervous and unsure of himself, and his gratitude towards Techno for saving him is adorable. Later down the line, he returns the favor, saving Techno's life, and even remarking:
--> '''Connor:''' I never actually did anything like this before, but I feel really cool.

** First there's ProtagonistTitle-guy, Po, who has badass kung-fu skills by the end of the first film. The adorable is, of course, the fact that he's a [[PandaingtotheAudience chubby Panda]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'' has multiple due to its cartoons artstyle and appealing animal characters who are, nevertheless, feared criminals:

** The biggest example is Diane Foxington [[spoiler: aka the infamous CatBurglar the Crimson Paw. She's a cute vixen with a pretty face and an endearing personality, and also a martial artist armed with countless gadgets who went down in criminal history before reforming and becoming a governor and, even after years of no training, [[OneManArmy single-handedly took down all the guards in a high-security prison with her bare hands]] and no damage taken aside from a single, small tear in her suit.]]

* The title character in ''WesternAnimation/Nimona2023'' is a shape-shifter whose most used form is basically a little girl with salmon pink hair, salmon pink eyes and an outfit reminiscent of what a metalhead would've looked like in medieval time. She can also shape-shift into anything from a rhino to a whale and from a dragon to a dancing shark (all of these, of course, will don a reddish pink coloration) and take down armies of knights on her own with even [[AxCrazy too]] much eagerness.

** Mr. Piranha is the second smallest member behind Webs, an easily excitable oaf, has adorable stubby hands and feet and is also a PibtSizedPowerhouse that the gang uses whenever they need large groups of trained officers to be taken care of.

** The Spider-Society brings us some examples, such as Spider-Cat, a plushie version of Spider-Man and Charlotte Webber/Sun-Spider, an Handicapped badass Spider-Girl who shares some good-natured quips with Miles even as she chases him down.

* From ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' we have [[TheHero Miles Morales]], a dorky high school student able to stand against villains twice his size, [[{{Animesque}} Peni Parker]], a cutesy young girl piloting a spider-based mech, and [[BewareTheSillyOnes Spider-Ham]], a FunnyAnimal version of Spiderman who uses ToonPhysics to fight and [[CurbStompBattle easily takes down]] [[TheBrute Scorpion]].

* The spinoff ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots'' introduces another BadassAdorable cat character by the name of Kitty Softpaws, who is skilled and tough on a level fit to rival Puss himself. And a [[LiteralMetaphor literal]] "cat burglar."

* Most characters in ''VisualNovel/FarBeyondTheWorld'' are humanoid wolves each standing at around 7ft of height, but, out of them, the she-wolf Cora manages to come off as truly adorable. She has fluffy fur, a pretty smile and [[MsFanservice a nice figure]], and personality-wise she's [[NiceGirl kind, helpful, funny]] and a FriendToAllChildren. [[BewareTheNiceOnes However]], when Aldris and Dran threaten the frail human Caelan, Cora shows off the Badass part by pulling a knife on them to defend him, fearless towards the two people who got her own mother executed and, in general, are TheDreaded due to being cunning and good at getting rid of undesirables. To reiterate, Cora pulled a blade on the two people [[TheBigGuy Vul-]][[AxCrazy Motherfuckin']][[TheDreaded -gor]] is afraid of.

** Jenna is not only a cute short girl, but an anthropomorphic kit fox to boot. Not only is she academically brilliant and often the cast's voice of reason, but she accomplishes some very impressive stuff despite her petite stature, such as beating TheBigGuy Leo at a carnival high striker (mainly because [[WeakButSkilled she knows how they function]]), [[spoiler:handling high stress situations better than most of the cast such as when they're kidnapped by Brian, and even saving the whole town by talking the absolutely hysterical Heather out of destroying the whole town by sabotaging the dam. It also helps her badassery that she seems to have a special connection with her monstrous childhood friend, the Socket Man, who teleports and can turn anyone into mincemeat with one touch. Less adorable is her badassery in the BadEnding to her route, where she talks Flynn into sniping Heather dead and then steals her father's dam blueprints and successfully destroys the town of Echo like Heather attempted.]]

* Most characters in ''VisualNovel/FarBeyondTheWorld'' are humanoid wolves each standing at around 7ft of height, but, out of them, the she-wolf Cora manages to come off as truly adorable. She has fluffy fur, a pretty smile and [[MsFanservice a nice figure]], and personality-wise she's a [[NiceGirl kind, helpful and funny]] FriendToAllChildren. [[BewareTheNiceOnes However]], when Aldris and Dran threaten the frail human Caelan, Cora shows off the Badass part by pulling a knife on them to defend him, fearless towards the two people who got her own mother executed and, in general, are TheDreaded due to being cunning and good at getting rid of undesirables. To reiterate, Cora pulled a blade on the two people [[TheBigGuy Vul-]][[AxCrazy Motherfuckin']][[TheDreaded -gor]] is afraid of.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Echo}}'':
** Jenna is not only a cute short girl, but an anthropomorphic kit fox to boot. Not only is she academically brilliant and often the cast's voice of reason, but she accomplishes some very impressive stuff despite her petite stature, such as beating TheBigGuy Leo at a carnival high striker (mainly because [[WeakButSkilled she knows how they function]]), [[spoiler:handling high stress situations better than most of the cast such as when they're kidnapped by Brian, and even saving the whole town by talking the absolutely hysterical Heather out of destroying the whole town by sabotaging the dam. It also helps her badassery that she seems to have a special connection with her monstrous childhood friend, the Socket Man, who teleports and can turn anyone into mincemeat with one touch. Less adorable is her badassery in the BadEnding to her route, where she talks Flynn into sniping Heather dead and then steals her father's dam blueprints and successfully destroys the town of Echo like Heather attempted.]]
** In Leo's route, Kudzu is a small raccoon who, nevertheless, lives in a sick trailer house and [[BigDamnHeroes rescues]] both Chase and Leo from the delusional and armed Duke and Brian, the latter being easily the largest character in the cast.
** In Jenna's route, Micha is a diminutive {{Twink}} who's also a fluffy bat. He is also a juvenile delinquent who has been fending for himself on the rough streets since he was basically a kid, and shows his experience by saving Leo and Chase from the huge bear Brian by beating the bastard in the face with a metal pipe. He is also easily the character who navigates the supernatural happenings around Echo the best, recognizing them as the work of "The Hum" his late friend Keith told him about.
* Most characters in ''VisualNovel/FarBeyondTheWorld'' are humanoid wolves each standing at around 7ft of height, but, out of them, the she-wolf Cora manages to come off as truly adorable. She has fluffy fur, a pretty smile and [[MsFanservice a nice figure]], and personality-wise she's a [[NiceGirl kind, helpful and funny]] FriendToAllChildren. [[BewareTheNiceOnes However]], when Aldris and Dran threaten the frail human Caelan, Cora shows off the Badass part by pulling a knife on them to defending, fearless towards the two people who got her own mother executed and, in general, are TheDreaded due to being cunning and good at getting rid of undesirables. To reiterate, Cora fearlessly pulled a blade on the two people [[TheBigGuy Vul-]][[AxCrazy Motherfuckin']][[TheDreaded -gor]] is afraid of.

** [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Arcueid]] from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' is more well known for being a bit [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} adorably ditzy]] than being {{s|weaterGirl}}exy. Also known more for her [[PersonOfMassDestruction outrageously broken strength]].

* BadassAdorable/FanWorks

Underneath the [[CheerfulChild irrepressibly cheerful demeanor]], behind the innocent wide-eyed gaze, lies an astonishing capacity for [[WaifFu kicking your ass]], leveling a city, or why not, ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction leveling an entire country]]''. Perhaps you've threatened their loved ones. Maybe you've offended their inviolate sense of justice. No matter what shape the grievance against you takes, they will give you an entirely new set of benchmarks to define hurt.

* BadassAdorable/WebAnimation

* BadassAdorable/ProWrestling
* BadassAdorable/TabletopGames