History Main / BraidsOfAction

* Elsa de Sica in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' has twin braids. Averted with the rest of the cyborgs, whose handlers are more interested in making them look like adorable little girls than ActionGirls so their targets won't suspect them.

* Elsa de Sica in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' has twin braids.

* [[AmazonianBeauty Nikki Hanada]] in ''Manga/DrStone'' wears her hair in two braids. Averted with the other Action Girls, Kohaku and [[DarkActionGirl Homura]], who wear {{Tomboyish Ponytail}}s.

%%* Elsa de Sica in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl''.

* Female boxers and kickboxers often braid their hair to keep it out of the way during fights, cornrows being the most popular style for this.

%%* Raine Albion from ''WebOriginal/BusterGirls'' wears her purple hair in twin braids when fighting as Buster Violet.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':

** Gender Inverted with Oghren in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. He wears his beard in thick red braids, which is not unusual for dwarf men.

* ''Cosmic Sin'' (2021). Sol Cantos (played by [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Lana]]), the Elloran soldier who wields a {{BFG}}, has braided hair colored a bright yellow. This makes her stick out somewhat in the woods, but from appearances the unit she is with are MildlyMilitary.

* Female martial artists, especially in MMA circuits, often braid their hair to keep it out of the way during fights, cornrows being the most popular style for this.

* PlayedForLaughs in the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie, where Fiona takes on a band of ruffians in the forest all on her own, ''Matrix''-style, and actually knocks one of them out with her braid.

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. During the third season Xindi arc, one of the female SpaceMarines (played by a [[RecurringExtra stuntwoman in a non-speaking role]]) had a long single plait down her back.
* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'': Egwene wears a long braid down her back as a symbol of her initiation into the Women's Circle. Before long she's thrust into adventure and proves herself an ActionGirl.

Compare BraidsOfBarbarism, TomboyishPonytail, GirlishPigtails (which can sometimes be combined with this trope in the case of a LittleMissBadass), ShortHairWithTail (which presents a similar profile), BaldHeadOfToughness (in which baldness is also often used to indicate that a female character is an ActionGirl).

* 21st Century Fox, Monique Mercy and [[Wrestling/KiaStevens Amazing Kong]] are known for wrestling in cornrows. There are also male examples such as Elijah Burke, JTG and Slam Master J.

* ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulkFutureImperfect'': Rick Jones' granddaughter, Janis. She grew her hair long, tied it into a braid and wrapped it around the top of her head so when she needs to, she can untie it and use it as a whip.
-->"It takes a long time to dry after washing it, but it's worth it."
* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Valkyrie wears her hair in two braids in most of her incarnations.
* ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} often wears her hair in a braided ponytail when going into a fight. One issue in the Savage Lands shows her plaiting her hair in preparation for battle while calmly discussing the plan with an ally.

* Played with by Laura Kinney a.k.a. ComicBook/{{X 23}}. In ''ComicBook/InnocenceLost'' and flashbacks to ''Target: X'', she typically wears her hair braided on missions. This ceases after she escapes from the Facility, as during a FunnyBackgroundEvent in one of her early appearances in the X-Men books, Laura can be seen struggling to emulate Psylocke while the latter casually and expertly braids her hair preparing for a coming fight. Once the fighting actually starts it's revealed she failed miserably and settled for a messy ponytail instead. Apparently, she never got the hang of braiding her own hair and doesn't bother asking someone else to help do it for her, as she's pretty universally drawn with her hair loose in all of her appearances.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

%%** Helga Sinclair from ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''.

%%* Astrid and Ruffnut from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''.