History Main / FeministFantasy

* ''Series/IZombie'' is a crime/fantasy drama focused on [[PunnyName Olivia "Liv" Moore]], a woman that 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

* ''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. 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.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' 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 third film builds heavily on this foundation, as Fiona and her mother rally various fairytale princesses to drop the DistressBall and save the day.

* The ''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.

* ''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 TokenGirl in a male-dominated profession.

* ''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 ComingOfAgeStory of learning to move on from her grief. Also, her relationship with her deceased mother is a central relationship in the film.
* ''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 ComingOfAge 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.

* [[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.

* Much of Franchise/Star Wars 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 as essential and active of a role in the Rebellion as Bail, as well as including the current Queen of Naboo and various female junior Senators as Leia's peers.
* ''Literature/TheBurningKingoms'': 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.

* ''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]].

* ''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.

* ''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.
* ''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 that 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.
* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''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.

* ''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.
* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', the second work in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse to be lead 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/JessicaJones, 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 man, including her being a hard drinker and having casual sex.
* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''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]].
* ''Series/IZombie'' is a crime/fantasy drama focused on [[PunnyName Olivia "Liv" Moore]], a woman that 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.
* 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...
** ... 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.
** With the 2017 announcement that the Thirteenth Doctor is a woman (Creator/JodieWhittaker) the show is '''firmly''' this from Series 11 onward.
* 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).
* 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 make 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]].
** 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 the heir to the throne is a woman.
* ''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., [[CloningBlues 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.

* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''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.
* ''Series/{{Cursed}}'': 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.
* ''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.

* ''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.

* ''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 WarriorPrincess 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 "bossgirlified" 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 is was needed in order to have character development and that the show intents to deconstruct the idea of {{Xenafication}}, to show how toxic and traumatic it is sometimes this idea of wanting to have every woman wielding a sword like men.
* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'' follows an all female cast as they survive being stranded and uncover te mystery behind it. They are all complex women who each given their own development and arc.

* Lauren Faust'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.

* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "Never Ricking Morty". Morty has to tell a story that passes the 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.

* Being the DeconReconSwitch that they are, ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' 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 StandardFiftiesFather) 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.

* ''Anime/{{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.

* ''Series/DarkMatter'' started out as a normal ensemble show, but in season 2 developed more and more into this trope, 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.
* The ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' TV series 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.

* ''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 or [[ShipTease lovers]].

* ''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 and respects them for their help and support.
** The sequel, Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever is even better example. It has the highest female-to-male character ratio out of any MCU film. It focuses on Shuri’s Coming of Age Story and Hero's Journey, 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 God-Emperor and forcing him to yield to her.

* ''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 [[HoeYay or]] [[ShipTease lovers]].

* ''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, with whom she's either HeterosexualLifePartners or [[ShipTease lovers]].

* The ''Franchise/{{Alien}}}'' series is legendary for both its Freudian monsters and female protagonist, Lt. Ellen Ripley. The 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.

* ''LightNovel/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.

* ''LightNovel/{{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).

* ''LightNovel/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.

* ''LightNovel/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.

* ''LightNovel/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 that 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 ghost writer, 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.
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'' is a side-story focused on the adventures of GamerGirl 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.

* ''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 teenaged 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 ''LightNovel/DirtyPair'', another series about female spies.

** 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.]] Although she [[MinorMajorCharacter doesn’t have a very large role]] in the films, it's also revealed that one of the [[RebelLeader main leaders of the rebellion]] is a woman named Mon Mothma.

* ''LightNovel/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 [[BareYourMidriff 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.

* ''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 TheChosenOne is male, leading to the protagonist's one-night stand [[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.]]

** UsefulNotes/JaneSeymourRoyalty had a large family and formed a family band with her children.

* Ironically, some Ecchi/Harem-series can count as one but only if the girls can superpowers.