History Main / FeministFantasy

* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], or being [[MaleGaze heavily sexualized]], the story features a plethora of extremely badass women who generally tend to wear fairly butch clothing, are attractive without being drawn in an [[MaleGaze overtly lecherous]] manner, and tend to have a high degree of narrative importance, with Denji's primary love interest, Makima, being both one of the strongest characters in the series and the [[spoiler:BigBad]] of Part 1. Furthermore, Denji himself is [[ChivalrousPervert genuinely polite and respectful towards women]], never trying anything without explicit consent. It's made most explicit in Part 2, where not only does the series switch to a female protagonist in Asa, with Denji acting as a SupportingProtagonist, the BigBadDuumvirate/[[BigBadEnsemble Ensemble]] of the series, The Four Horsemen, are confirmed to be all women, with [[spoiler: Death]] being confirmed to be the most powerful Devil in existence, and by extension, the [[WorldsStrongestMan strongest character in the setting]].

* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], or being [[MaleGaze heavily sexualized]], the story features a plethora of extremely badass women who generally tend to wear fairly butch clothing, are attractive without being drawn in an [[MaleGaze overtly lecherous]] manner, and tend to have a high degree of narrative importance. Furthermore, Denji himself is [[ChivalrousPervert genuinely polite and respectful towards women]], never trying anything without explicit consent. It's made most explicit in Part 2, where not only does the series switch to a female protagonist in Asa, with Denji acting as a SupportingProtagonist, the BigBadDuumvirate/[[BigBadEnsemble Ensemble]] of the series, The Four Horsemen, are confirmed to be all women, with [[spoiler: Death]] being confirmed to be the most powerful Devil in existence, and by extension, the [[WorldsStrongestMan strongest character in the setting]].

* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], or being [[MaleGaze heavily sexualized]], the story features a plethora of extremely badass women who generally tend to wear fairly butch clothing, and are attractive without being drawn in an [[MaleGaze overtly lecherous]] manner. Furthermore, Denji himself is [[ChivalrousPervert genuinely polite and respectful towards women]], never trying anything without explicit consent. It's made most explicit in Part 2, where not only does the series switch to a female protagonist in Asa, with Denji acting as a SupportingHero, the BigBadDuumvirate/[[BigBadEnsemble Ensemble]] of the series, TheFourHorsemen, are confirmed to be all women, with [[spoiler: Death]] being confirmed to be the most powerful Devil in existence, and by extension, the [[World'sStrongestMan strongest character in the setting]].

* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], or being [[MaleGaze heavily sexualized]], the story features a plethora of extremely badass women who generally tend to wear fairly butch clothing, and are attractive without being drawn in an [[MaleGaze overtly lecherous]] manner. Furthermore, Denji himself is [[ChivalrousPervert genuinely polite and respectful towards women]], never trying anything without explicit consent. It's made most explicit in Part 2, where not only does the series switch to a female protagonist in Asa, with Denji acting as a SupportingHero

* "Manga/ChainsawMan" might not seem like this at first, seeing as how it features a male protagonist who's [[HormoneAddledTeenager unabashedly horny]]. But a look at the overall cast quickly shows it to be this. For one, in contrast to many other shounen, where the female cast tends to suffer from either [[FauxActionGirl informed badassery]], [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]],

* While "VideoGame/EldenRing" doesn't really have a set MainCharacter, with the Tarnished being a blank slate, a look at the characters of the wider setting and the overall lore firmly puts it into this trope. For one, the resident TopGod of the setting is a woman, Queen Marika the Eternal, which itself is a massive departure from most mythologies, including the [[{{Myth/ClassicalMythology}} Classical]] and [[{{Myth/NorseMythology}} Norse]] mythologies that were among the inspirations for the setting. Furthermore, she's shown to be a cunning, ruthlessly intelligent Chessmaster and warlord who had a big part in forging her empire into what it is now. On top of that, there's the fact that despite both her spouses being men, she's shown to be the one holding the reigns in their relationships. It's especially notable in the case of Godfrey, who despite being the archetypal ManlyMan, is shown to be perfectly with this, to the point of having no resentment against her for exiling him, as indicated by his cut dialogue. And going beyond Marika, quite a few of the big players in the setting are women. Queen Rennala is not only the ruler of Liurnia, she's also TheArchmage of the setting, being credited as the most powerful sorceress in the LandsBetween, along with holding the position of WorldsSmartestWoman. And perhaps most strikingly of all, we have Malenia, who's not only a contender for both WorldsStrongestMan and WorldsBestWarrior, she does all of this while being a [[HandicappedBadass blind, triple-amputee suffering from a terminal illness]], a reputation she more than lives up to as the game's premier Superboss.

* While "VideoGame/EldenRing" doesn't really have a set MainCharacter, with the Tarnished being a blank slate, a look at the characters of the wider setting and the overall lore firmly puts it into this trope. For one, the resident TopGod of the setting is a woman, Queen Marika the Eternal, which itself is a massive departure from most mythologies, including the Myth/ClassicalMythology and Myth/NorseMythology that were among the inspirations for the setting. Furthermore, she's shown to be a cunning, ruthlessly intelligent Chessmaster and warlord who had a big part in forging her empire into what it is now. On top of that, there's the fact that despite both her spouses being men, she's shown to be the one holding the reigns in their relationships. It's especially notable in the case of Godfrey, who despite being the archetypal ManlyMan, is shown to be perfectly with this, to the point of having no resentment against her for exiling him, as indicated by his cut dialogue. And going beyond Marika, quite a few of the big players in the setting are women. Queen Rennala is not only the ruler of Liurnia, she's also TheArchmage of the setting, being credited as the most powerful sorceress in the LandsBetween, along with holding the position of WorldsSmartestWoman. And perhaps most strikingly of all, we have Malenia, who's not only a contender for both WorldsStrongestMan and WorldsBestWarrior, she does all of this while being a [[HandicappedBadass blind, triple-amputee suffering from a terminal illness]], a reputation she more than lives up to as the game's premier Superboss.

* The ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' multimedia franchise is the TropeCodifier for MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction, starring various casts of complex, three-dimensional female characters and their struggles both physical and psychological. The stories pull no punches in showing how harsh the world can be and how immensely difficult the job of being a magical girl is, especially since [[spoiler:the girls are trapped in a system by a cruel alien entity that engineers their doom]]. Nevertheless, many of the girls fight against the system that enslaves them, and there is always hope. This is most evident in two scenes of the original anime; first is a scene where Sayaka encounters and stands up to two misogynistic men on a train who beat their girlfriends and call all women whores; the second is [[spoiler:the scene where the titular Madoka [[AbstractApotheosis becomes a goddess]], freeing the other girls from the system and serving as a benevolent protector for all magical girls]].

** ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'' has had several incarnations, but is always a strong woman with abilities that set her apart from that [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker other hero]] with spider-themed powers. Interestingly enough, she was not created as his [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] (she was actually made when Marvel noticed some people were making a project called Spider-Woman and they rushed to make the character to claim the name), so she can carve her own path.

* In the Alpennia series by Heather Rose Jones, set in a Ruritanian country, the main cast is all women: in the first book, we are introduced to a swordswoman who is surrounded by political intrigue, who needs to sort out her role, and another woman who is interested in recovering and improving old magical rituals; in the second volume, they are joined by an experimental alchemist and a society hostess and all four of them foil a plot against Alpennia; by the third volume, it's clear that the political intrigue has implications beyond the kingdom.

%%* ''The Wrestling Princess and Other Stories'' by Judy Corbalis.

* "Literature/TheGardenOfSinners": The protagonist, Ryougi Shiki, is a stoic, highly-competent ActionGirl with abilities that pretty much make her TheGrimReaper. Furthermore, she generally wears rather tasteful and conservative attire, in contrast to the majority of female NinetiesAntiHeroes from the time period. Also, the the exploration of gender identity and (to a lesser extent) sexual orientation are recurring themes throughout the story.

* Being the DeconReconSwitch that they are, ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' 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.

* The main protagonist of "VisualNovel/WitchOnTheHolyNight" is Aoko Aozaki, who's a HotBlooded, [[ActionGirl asskicking]] magus-in-training who doesn't take shit from anyone. Her primary ally and confidant throughout the story is Alice Kuonji, who's very poised and dignified, but who's every bit as dangerous as Aoko. And that's not getting into the fact that the BigBad is [[spoiler: Touko Aozaki]], who's one of the most powerful and accomplished mages in the entire setting. Furthermore, the two main male characters, Soujuurou sizuki and Lugh Beowulf, both tend to take more subordinate roles to the girls, and are both shown to be perfectly ok with that. And that's not even getting into the fact that Aoko is the [[spoiler: wielder of one of the Five True magics, which have the ability to do the impossible]], and which she uses to [[spoiler: save Soujuurou's life]].

* The ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series is legendary for both its Freudian monsters and female protagonist, Lt. Ellen Ripley. The [[Film/Alien1979 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 in [[Film/{{Aliens}} the sequel]].

* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' is a PerspectiveFlip [[TwiceToldTale retelling]] of ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', starring Creator/AngelinaJolie. Drawing comparisons to ''Literature/{{WICKED}}'', it [[AdaptationalHeroism reimagines Maleficent]] as a complex woman who changes from heroic guardian of the Moors to vengeful girl victimized by the [[StrawMisogynist misogynistic]] [[AdaptationalVillainy King Stephan]], and finally into an antihero over the many years the film covers. She serves as an unwitting mother figure to Aurora and helps to mold the princess into a wise and strong-willed young woman. Aurora is notably more proactive in this telling of the story, with far more character development and agency than is normally seen in most versions of Sleeping Beauty. [[spoiler: She is also not woken from her sleep by Prince Philip, who even points out that he doesn't know her well enough to be in love yet. Instead, it is Maleficent who awakens Aurora with a remorseful kiss to the forehead -- having included in her curse that all who met Aurora would come to love her.]] Of course, [[BrokenBase the many changes were not exactly received positively by everyone]], with some claiming that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the film tries too hard to be feminist]] and ultimately comes across as an {{Anvilicious}} fantasy-flavored LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek.

* ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' features a more proactive titular princess, who breaks out of her [[GirlInTheTower tower prison]] herself and flees into the forest where no one but the Huntsman will dare to venture. With his teaching, she develops into a LadyOfWar and leads an army to reclaim her throne by force, ultimately taking down the Queen on her own.

* Creator/MillaJovovich and Creator/AngelinaJolie have established themselves as big-time [[ActionHero Action Heroines]] through these kinds of films. If they star in a fantasy or science fiction film, expect them to be [[OneManArmy One-Woman Armies]]. Creator/MichelleRodriguez and Creator/SummerGlau have also built careers as Action Heroines in the genre(s), to a lesser degree.
** Jovovich has headlined the ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' as Alice, a former Umbrella agent out to save the world.
** In ''Film/Ultraviolet2006'', Jovovich stars as a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire-like]] warrior who must protect a mysterious boy from the forces hunting him.
** Jolie took up the role of AdventurerArchaeologist Lara Croft in the ''[[Film/LaraCroftTombRaider Tomb Raider]]'' films. She's also noted to be the highest-grossing Action Heroine in the business. Likewise, she plays the live-action Maleficent mentioned above.

* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. The critically acclaimed film takes place in the kind of [[TestosteronePoisoning testosterone-fueled]], [[RatedMForManly hyper-masculine]] AfterTheEnd setting the ''Mad Max'' setting is known for, yes, and ostensibly stars Tom Hardy as the titular 'Mad Max', but the crux of the movie is propelled by Charlize Theron's character, the elite Imperator Furiosa, and her mission to return to the matriarchal home of her childhood, spiriting away five women who have been forced into sexual slavery and baby-production by a brutal warlord in the process. [[http://time.com/3850323/mad-max-fury-road-eve-ensler-feminist/ Many]] [[http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/eve-ensler-says-mad-max-fury-road-is-a-feminist-action-film-plus-watch-30-minute-interview-with-george-miller-20150511 critics]] [[http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/mad-max-fury-road-review/?tu=dd have]] pointed out that the real star of the film is arguably Furiosa, who literally drives the action in a quest for redemption for her past wrong-doings and liberation from the warlord, with Max himself taking the more subdued arc of recovery from trauma and reconnecting to his humanity. A good portion of the movie is devoted to women kicking ass and taking names for their fellow women.

* ''Film/{{Scream}}'' turns the genre's more sexist conventions on its head. Notably two of the movie's survivors are female, both of whom outwit the killer at several turns (especially in the sequels too).

* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'', written by a woman and featuring women as the human protagonist and the main villain. The {{Prequel}} focuses heavily on the [[ABoyAndHisX bond]] that develops between [[WrenchWench Charlie]] Watson and the titular Autobot. Frequenting a junkyard to find parts for an old sports car, Charlie becomes fascinated with a broken-down [=VW=] Bug and takes it home to begin fixing it up. The car turns out to be a badly damaged Autobot with a faulty memory core and missing voice components. She befriends and nicknames him Bumblebee, and begins working on repairing the alien as best she can. As the government and a pair of Decepticons close in on them, Charlie and Bumblebee must save Earth from destruction.
* ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' is a fiercely and unapologetically feminist film, bringing the heroine to the screen in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'''s first film to be centered around a female protagonist. An AmnesiacHero, Vers is a Kree warrior fighting in the galactic war against the shapeshifting Skrulls when she crash-lands on Earth in the 1990s. Forming a partnership with a young Nick Fury, Vers begins to discover clues to her own past as a human fighter pilot named Carol Danvers. The film features several TakeThat moments to common criticisms that women face such as seeming unfriendly for not "smiling enough" or being required to prove themselves to gate-keeping men. In a twist on the classic mythos, [[spoiler: the mysterious woman from Carol's past turns out to have been the original Mar-Vell]] and the final confrontation concludes with [[spoiler: Carol ignoring her former commander's taunts to fight him on ''his'' terms, blasting him into a mountain before stating she doesn't have to prove herself to him]]. The film is a Power Fantasy for women, portraying numerous badass women who are unapologetic in their confidence and ability. It also takes the time to include messages of inspiration for the next generation of girls, encouraging them to pursue their ambitions without compromise.

* ''Film/FastColor'': The film centers on three female generations of one family -- Bo, her daughter Ruth, and Ruth's daughter Lila. Because of their superpowers (which are also shown to be exclusively held by females), they're on the run from men who want them for their uses. Further, they're black or mixed race, which is also unusual.
* [[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/revenge_2018 General consensus]] about ''Film/Revenge2017'' is that it gives its exploitation genre a decidedly feminist spin, with some critics calling it "the bloodiest, most violent contribution to the [=#MeToo=] movement". Case in point: this is one of the very few movies where the male main character is shown completely naked from the front while the female lead is only ever seen very briefly topless.
* ''Film/{{The Princess|2022}}'': The princess refuses to comply with feminine norms, secretly training herself to fight, and then rejects a marriage to which she didn't consent to. After this, she has to fight off her would-be husband who's taken over and won't accept "no" for an answer (which is putting it mildly). She's rewarded finally by [[spoiler:her father admitting she proved him wrong, accepting her as a warrior woman and making her his heir, while also saying in the future all princesses of the realm will be allowed to make these choices]].

* [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] animated films have been more proactive with their female characters starting with ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'', but the most extensive example of this trope is undoubtedly ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''. The princess movies seem to be getting less and less sexist, as well as more self-aware, with every passing year. Whether they count as ''feminist'' depends on where you draw the line; for the most part, they're definitely not groundbreaking in any way.
* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' is the TropeCodifier as far as Disney examples go. The villain Maleficent is a LadyOfBlackMagic and is referred to as the Mistress of ''All'' Evil. She's notably stronger, more powerful, and much smarter than the typical Disney villain. So effective is she that she's effectively ''won'' [[NearVillainVictory by the end of the second act]]. On the heroes' side, the three Good Fairies drive the plot. They hide the princess from Maleficent for years and create the counter spell to save her. When Prince Philip is captured, the fairies are the ones who rescue him and provide him with the tools necessary to stop Maleficent. ''Blog/UnshavedMouse'' noted how unusual even today it is for a film to feature three female protagonists who don't provide {{Fanservice}}, pass UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, and don't end up as someone's love interest.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'': Ariel is a RebelliousPrincess fascinated by the human world, challenging her father's firm belief that everything on the surface is evil. Falling for Prince Eric is merely the push needed to drive her to pursue her dream. Unlike her counterpart in the original story, she gets a happy ending.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' features an [[BrainyBrunette intelligent]], free-spirited heroine who loves to read and dreams of living a life of adventure. Belle stands her ground against JerkJock Gaston and the titular [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Beast]], calling them on their behavior and refusing to change herself to suit others.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Princess Jasmine is another RebelliousPrincess, unsatisfied with her GildedCage and unwilling to be forced into marriage just because the law demands it. Her EstablishingCharacterMoment involves sending her latest suitor packing by sending her pet tiger after him.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' stars another RebelliousPrincess, ''very'' loosely based on the real figure from American history. She's bothered by the idea of settling down in a "good match" marriage. Instead, she challenges John Smith's ideas about the world and ends up preventing a war.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' [[{{Xenafication}} transforms]] Esmeralda from the weak, fickle woman of [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the novel]] into being kind-hearted and street-smart. Even when she's in danger, she [[DefiantCaptive makes]] [[GroinAttack them]] [[DefiantToTheEnd regret]] it. Her role illustrates how unrealistic the MadonnaWhoreComplex truly is, as all three men want her....but while Quasimodo sees her as a perfect angel and Frollo sees her as a wicked temptress, AmazonChaser Phoebus sees and appreciates the ''person''. When Frollo ties her to a stake and threatens to have her [[BurnTheWitch burned as a witch]] if she doesn't become his mistress, she responds by [[SpitefulSpit spitting]] in his face.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': Based on the Chinese legend. Mulan is resourceful and brave, choosing to disguise herself as a man in order to take her father's place in the Imperial army. Through her quick wits and determination, she becomes an accomplished soldier and goes on to defeat the BigBad Shan-Yu and save China from his conquering ambitions. [[spoiler: Her love interest follows her home, to return her helmet. When awkwardly complimenting her, he focuses on her fighting skills.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Tiana is a hard-working, determined young woman with a dream of opening her own restaurant. [[spoiler: She faces down the BigBad to save Naveen, winning through her refusal to accept the temptation of an easy fix. She then confronts the businessmen who refused to sell the restaurant to her, and goes on to achieve her dream of opening a thriving business that she runs with Naveen at her side.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel, while having [[TheIngenue multiple]] PrincessClassic [[FriendToAllLivingThings traits]], uses her 70-foot-long hair and a {{frying pan|OfDoom}} as weapons. When her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] refuses to let her leave her tower to see the yearly lights in the sky that she's always dreamed of watching up close, she knocks out the thief who breaks into her tower, ties him up with her hair, and talks him into showing her where the lights take place.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' stars Merida, a RebelliousPrincess that is something of a tomboy. She's an exceptional archer, as well as skilled at horseback riding and rock climbing, and constantly battles with her strict, traditional mother. The story focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, as an ArrangedMarriage and a curse force them to work together and begin understanding one another better. [[spoiler: Merida comes to see her mother's quiet strength and the heavy responsibility she shoulders as both a mother and a Queen. Meanwhile, Queen Elinor comes to respect her daughter's independence and decides against forcing her into a political marriage. As a ''literal'' MamaBear, she faces down and defeats a monster bear in order to protect her husband and children. The curse is lifted once Merida is able to accept her mistakes and reconcile with her mother. The political marriage is called off, with both Merida ''and'' her suitors declaring that they want to MarryForLove and the relationship between Elinor and Merida strengthened considerably.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' has BadassAdorable Vanellope Von Schweetz and SpaceMarine Sgt. Calhoun, as one half of the gender-balanced main cast. Vanellope is a glitched character in a racing game and blackmails Ralph into helping her win the next big race. [[spoiler: In doing so, the game will be reset and she'll reclaim her rightful place as the Main Character. Though she's really a Princess, she gives up the throne in favor of becoming President.]] Sgt. Calhoun is the commander in a First Person Shooter, acting as the player's guide and generally kicking ass as a [[Franchise/MassEffect Fem!Shep]] {{Expy}}. Having been WidowedAtTheWedding when a Cy-bug ate the groom, she's determined to track down and destroy the Cy-bug threat. [[spoiler: She ends up marrying Fix-It Felix Jr., who falls in LoveAtFirstPunch and avoids his predecessor's fate due to the wedding involving massive amounts of firepower. The ending credits feature them as a BattleCouple.]] It's also noteworthy for the decision to use a [[GamerChick young girl]] as the AudienceSurrogate for the events outside the video games.
* ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' has an extended sequence in which Vanellope meets the characters who comprise the Franchise/DisneyPrincess lineup. They [[LampshadeHanging jokingly acknowledge]] some of the more sexist tropes that have informed the franchise (focus on external over internal beauty, DamselInDistress status, etc.), act as {{Big Sister Mentor}}s to Vanellope, and [[spoiler:in the climax, the fourteen of them basically become a superhero team, using their unique skills and {{Iconic Item}}s to save Ralph's life]]. In a more subtle example from the same film, the final antagonist is [[spoiler:a horrifically destructive {{Kaiju}} embodying Ralph's insecurity about the fact that his close female friend wants to seek her own fulfillment instead of staying with him]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' focuses on the relationship between two sisters, and explores the meaning of True Love as well as conquering your fears. Anna is in love with the idea of love, dreaming of LoveAtFirstSight while Elsa attempts to always keep her emotions in check and refuses to let anyone close out of fear of her powers. [[spoiler: Anna falls head over heels in love with Prince Hans, agreeing to marry him after knowing him for a few hours. First Elsa, and later Kristoff, both call her on rushing into such a serious matter with someone she barely knows. The nature of True Love is also explored when Anna's heart is frozen, with only an "act of True Love" capable of saving her. Everyone believes it will require True Love's Kiss, and rush her back to Hans... only for him to turn out to be a BitchInSheepsClothing out to seduce his way onto the kingdom's throne. The act of True Love is instead Anna's HeroicSacrifice to protect her sister, and this allows Elsa to realize that fearing her powers and shutting everyone out was the cause of her PowerIncontinence. Once she accepts herself, she's able to restore her kingdom and become a Queen adored by her people. Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff realize their feelings for each other and take the first steps toward a relationship. Hans is first punched into the harbor by Anna, and then sent back home to face punishment for his crimes.]]
* ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'', a straight-to-DVD film series about six fairies with different "talents" (gardening, fast-flying, animal husbandry, water and light-bending) with no love interests who always go on adventures. The main protagonist is a "tinkerer" which is the equivalent of an inventor and mechanic.
* ''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 [[TheSmurfettePrinciple token girl]] in a male-dominated profession.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' is a notable departure from many Disney traditions, a fact the company made a point to advertise. Though the chieftain's daughter, Moana is shown to be the sole heir and next in line to lead her people, without any mention of marriage being necessary. In fact, the company noted that she would not have a {{Love Interest|s}} or romantic subplot. The film instead focuses on her as TheChosenOne that undergoes a quest to find the demi-god Maui and save the world.
* Being the DeconReconSwitch that they are, ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' 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.
* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' 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 [[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird third film]] builds heavily on this foundation, as Fiona and her mother rally various fairytale princesses to drop the DistressBall and save the day.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' is an AffectionateParody of the Silver Age of Comics. Roxanne Ritchie is a [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]]-style reporter and frequent DamselInDistress for various evil schemes, but she's easily the most level-headed character, and her skills as a journalist save the day repeatedly throughout the movie. The villain Tighten turns evil when Roxanne tells him that she is not interested in him, as he had figured that heroics would automatically entitle him to his crush.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets'' is not amazingly groundbreaking, and is more focused on its male characters like most films, but notably [[spoiler: TheHero (and his friend)]] are [[DistressedDude saved]] by the [[spoiler: hero's {{Love Interest|s}}, who beats up a large group of big dogs, cats, and even an ''alligator'' for him]]. This is what finally causes him to [[AmazonChaser notice her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' manages to be this [[DownplayedTrope to an extent.]] The main protagonist is Princess Odette and while she's not an ActionGirl, she is portrayed as strong-willed, intelligent, and courageous. She refuses to go through with an ArrangedMarriage to Prince Derek even though [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage she loves him]] because she thinks he [[LovingAShadow only likes her for her looks,]] saying she needs to know he loves her for herself. After being kidnapped and cursed by Rothbart, who wants to [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe marry her]] to 'legally' take over her kingdom, she [[DefiantCaptive utterly refuses to cooperate.]] [[note]] she is established to be her father's rightful heir [[GenderIsNoObject regardless of the fact she's a woman]], in an aversion of HeirClubForMen [[/note]] Although she needs Derek to break the spell by [[ThePowerOfLove making a vow of true love to her,]] she doesn't sit around waiting for him to arrive; she comes up with a plan to steal one of Rothbart's maps to locate Derek's kingdom and then takes advantage of the fact she turns into a swan to fly off and find him. She's a DamselInDistress in the climax, though not through lack of trying, doing everything she could to warn Derek of Rothbart's plan. Derek also saves her by telling her he truly loves her "for her kindness and courage" as opposed to her physical beauty.
* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' is a [[PluckyGirl spunky, proactive young woman]] who is determined to track down the family she [[AmnesiacHero barely remembers.]] She is quite [[FieryRedhead snarky, quick-witted, and takes crap from no one]], as [[BelligerentSexualTension Dimitri]] finds out the hard way. Although she needs Dimitri and Vlad's help to reach France and find her family, she proves to be of great help during their journey. Anastasia is ultimately the one who defeats [[BigBad Rasputin]] and in the end, she decides to [[spoiler: give up being a princess (or Grand Duchess to be more specific) because finding her family was always more important to her than being royal, and this way she gets to live life on her own terms and be with Dimitri]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' is a smart, active, and proactive young woman who ends up saving her parents from a powerful BigBad, who is another woman.

* ''WesternAnimation/AprilAndTheExtraordinaryWorld'' follows the titular ScienceHero protagonist in an AlternateHistory who goes on adventures of eluding corrupt cops, reuniting with her parents, and saving humanity. And while she has a love interest, it doesn't take precedence over her character arc.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' follows the female [[TheEveryman Everyman]] protagonist as she tries to find her place in her magical family while also trying to save said family and their home. While her family includes males and females, special attention is given to her relationships with her female relatives, especially her maternal grandmother. All of the women are flawed, complex but ultimately good people with varying character designs.
* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' stars a teenage girl going through a ComingOfAgeStory as she and the other female members of her family can magically turn into giant red pandas. The movie also focuses on her relationship with her mother and deep friendship with her three female best friends. The movie itself can be metaphorical of a girl having her first period, and the movie also brings up menstruation.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSeaBeast'' has a female character as the main protagonist who befriends the sea beasts and resolves the conflict through nonviolence. Also, the numerous female characters in the story are given unique character designs and treated equally along with their male counterparts.
* ''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 coming-of-age story 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 coming of age 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.

* One interpretation of ''Film/BloodMachines'' can be seen as a {{Cosmic Horror|Story}} spin on the idea. The VillainProtagonist Vascan is a StrawMisogynist who abuses his female-coded AI, brutalizes an all-female crew, and captures and threatens to rape one of them. [[spoiler:His captive would go on to kill him in a HoneyTrap, takes control of his body through an invasive form of magic that can be construed as a rape metaphor, the AI he abused rebels and evolves into a HumanoidAbomination and the film ends with him becoming an unwilling passenger of a god-like entity that resembles a woman.]]
* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' uses the DeconReconSwitch to hang many a lampshade on classic fairy tales, with PrincessClassic Giselle being banished to modern-day New York by her WickedStepmother Narissa. There, she meets jaded divorce lawyer Robert and his daughter, who is thrilled to meet a fairytale princess. Prince Edward follows his betrothed to New York to rescue her, while Giselle and Robert begin to see the positive aspects of the other's worldview as she tries to help him instill some romance into his relationship with his fiancée Nancy. [[spoiler: In the end, Giselle is saved from a poisoned apple by Robert's kiss, and rescues him in turn when Narissa transforms herself into a dragon. They become a couple, and Giselle opens a business making fairytale princess dresses for little girls. Edward elopes with Nancy, having finally found the romance she's wanted. The queen's henchman stays in New York and becomes a successful Self-Help author.]]
* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' is a PerspectiveFlip [[TwiceToldTale retelling]] of ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', starring Creator/AngelinaJolie. Drawing comparisons to ''Literature/{{WICKED}}'', it [[AdaptationalHeroism reimagines Maleficent]] as a complex woman who changes from heroic guardian of the Moors to vengeful girl victimized by the [[StrawMisogynist misogynistic]] [[AdaptationalVillainy King Stephan]], and finally into an antihero over the many years the film covers. She serves as an unwitting mother figure to Aurora and helps to mold the princess into a wise and strong-willed young woman. Aurora is notably more proactive in this telling of the story, with far more character development and agency than is normally seen in most versions of Sleeping Beauty. [[spoiler: She is also not woken from her sleep by Prince Philip, who even points out that he doesn't know her well enough to be in love yet. Instead, it is Maleficent who awakens Aurora with a remorseful kiss to the forehead -- having included in her curse that all who met Aurora would come to love her.]] Of course, [[BrokenBase the many changes were not exactly received positively by everyone]], with some claiming that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the film tries too hard to be feminist]] and ultimately comes across as an {{Anvilicious}} fantasy-flavored LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek.

* 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.

* The spinoff, ''Film/AVPAlienVsPredator'' honors this tradition of a strong female protagonist, with mountaineer/guide Alexa caught between two of science fiction's most iconic alien threats. She is highly resourceful and fierce enough of a fighter to earn the respect of the Predator warrior she forges an uneasy alliance with. The [[Franchise/AlienVsPredator novels and comics]] the film is loosely based on give us an even greater badass in Machiko, a Security officer who ends up being adopted into a clan of Predators for a time.
* Creator/GuillermoDelToro's stated intention with ''Film/PacificRim'' was to make a science fiction/action film with a heroine that was an equal partner rather than a {{Love Interest|s}}, [[MsFanservice "Sex Kitten"]], or a DamselInDistress. While Raleigh is the designated hero of the story, the narrative primarily focuses on Mako's HerosJourney and represents her as every bit his equal. Mako has been praised as a non-[[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow stereotypical]] [[DragonLady representation]] of an Asian woman while still acknowledging Japanese [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter morals]]. It tilts the standard roles assigned to a male and female protagonist, with Raleigh acting as the [[TheHeart emotional]] support for mentally-scarred Mako as she comes to grips with her painful past and desire for revenge.
* Another film by Creator/GuillermoDelToro is ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', a haunting [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice In Wonderland]]-ish fairy tale set against the harsh reality of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. Ofelia, a girl with a vivid imagination and great curiosity, has moved into the countryside with her widowed mother and new [[WickedStepmother stepfather]], the brutal Captain Vidal. There, she discovers a mysterious old labyrinth and encounters a Faun, who reveals to her that she is a lost princess from the Underworld. She is faced with three tests, meant to show whether her time in the human world has diminished her true self or not. Meanwhile, the family's maid, Mercedes, attempts to help the rebels against her employer and protect Ofelia. Melding a dark and nightmarish fantasy world with very real human cruelty, it deals directly with themes of misogyny, marriages of convenience, and societies that value male children over everything else. Ofelia is a brave, intelligent, and strong-willed heroine unwilling to be bound by her cruel step-father, while Mercedes is a woman of incredible courage and conviction who famously gives Captain Vidal a half GlasgowGrin when he threatens to torture her and makes it clear, before [[spoiler: the rebels gun him down, that his son will ''never'' know a thing about him]]. While ambiguous in the film itself, WordOfGod confirms that the supernatural elements of Ofelia's journey are real.
* Yet another Creator/GuillermoDelToro example is GothicHorror ''Film/CrimsonPeak''. The main character is a SpiritedYoungLady and proto-feminist named Edith Cushing, who is determined to become a published writer regardless of what everyone else thinks, would rather be writing ghost stories than romances, chooses to MarryForLove and sets about investigating the mysteries of [[HauntedHouse Allerdale Hall]] by herself. Edith's {{Love Interest|s}} Thomas Sharpe admires her intelligence and creativity, and in their love scene, he bares a lot more skin than her (which was actually his actor Tom Hiddleston's suggestion). Most of the ghosts turn out to be [[spoiler: Thomas' murdered wives, who are actually [[DarkIsNotEvil just trying to warn Edith]]]]. It's also revealed that the true villain is [[spoiler: Lucille Sharpe, who is quite an intelligent and formidable, though very unhinged, DarkActionGirl who is the real mastermind of the murders; Thomas is largely subservient to her and a victim of DomesticAbuse on her part]]. In the climax, [[spoiler: Edith's other Love Interest Alan comes to save her, but is badly injured, prompting Edith to save [[RescueReversal both him]] [[DamselOutDistress and herself]]]].

* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is a {{coming of age|Story}} tale, combining the talents of Creator/JimHenson and Creator/GeorgeLucas. Sarah is a SpoiledBrat with a love of fantasy and resents having to deal with her baby half-brother, Toby. One night, when forced to babysit, she [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wishes]] the goblins would take him away.....and gets her wish. The Goblin King challenges her to solve his Labyrinth in 13 hours, or Toby will be transformed into a goblin. She must outwit the mysterious Labyrinth, escape various death traps, and storm the Goblin City to rescue her brother. Along her journey, Sarah must accept that LifeIsntFair, reject the Goblin King's many temptations, and learn to balance childhood dreams with adult responsibility. When offered the chance to [[WeCanRuleTogether rule at his side]], Sarah rejects him by declaring that, [[ArcWords "You have no power over me"]].

* ''Film/KillBill'' is a two-part epic and love letter to numerous genres in the process. When an assassin tries to settle down into a normal life, her former comrades interrupt her wedding rehearsal and slaughter those present. She awakens from her coma years later and begins a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against them that spans continents and cinema genres. [[NoNameGiven The Bride]] and the female assassins she faces are all exceptional warriors, engaging in brutal duels to the death and leaving carnage in their wake. The subtle elements of fantasy are borrowed from classic Hong Kong films, with people displaying martial arts that border on the supernatural. Most notably, the HermitGuru was said to be able to use a FingerPokeOfDoom to kill enemies after they took five steps.

* ''Film/TheThing2011'', a {{Prequel}} of the original film. The film stars Kate Lloyd, a level-headed and [[ActionSurvivor capable]] scientist brought in to examine the titular creature when it is discovered frozen in the ice. According to the creators, Kate was intended as a homage to Lt. Ripley, the heroine of ''Franchise/{{Alien}}''.

* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' is a ContinuityReboot of the franchise, starring a {{Gender Flip}}ped cast. The team consists of a group of female scientists (and an amateur historian) who wear practical uniforms and kick plenty of ass while fighting to get the respect they've earned. The filmography of director Creator/PaulFeig itself tends towards the trope in the comedy genre.

* ''Film/TheCraft'' is a supernatural horror / UrbanFantasy film (and precursor to the likes of ''Series/Charmed1998'' and ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'') that revolves around four misfit teenage girls who practice witchcraft as a way of empowering themselves, with their sisterly bond as a coven helping them overcome adversity in the form of bullying, slut-shaming, and other issues. The girls' use of magic and pursuit of knowledge and power is not depicted as being negative in and of itself; it's only when they start abusing their powers and using them to harm people (or each other) that things go south. In the climax, the main protagonist Sarah seeks help and guidance from a wise mother figure, who encourages her to embrace her full potential as a witch in order to stand up for herself and gain better self-esteem and confidence. ''Film/TheCraftLegacy'' leans heavily into this, even having the main villain be the embodiment of toxic masculinity, while the girls are very much about women's power.

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' is following in the footsteps of ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', notable not just for its all-female team but also for being a major Hollywood Superhero film written, directed, and produced by women. The story revolves around newly-single Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} teaming up with Characters/BlackCanary, [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]], and [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Renee Montoya]] to protect a teenage girl, [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Cassandra Cain]], from a crime lord. Marketing for the film has focused heavily on the strength and independence of its heroines, as well as the avoidance of exploitative MaleGaze or uncomfortable, fanservice-y costumes.

* ''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 on and respects them for their help and support, a sharp contrast to the antagonist, a violent HeManWomanHater. Wakanda in general is an egalitarian society with plenty of women in leadership. The sequel ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' is an even better example, having the highest female-to-male character ratio out of any MCU film. It focuses on Shuri’s ComingofAgeStory and HerosJourney, 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 GodEmperor and forcing him to yield to her.

** ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is probably the most feminist anime in existence. It explores the classical fairytale motifs of the Heroic Prince that rescues a princess, the contrast of the innocent Princess and the mature Witch, and turns them completely on its head, while also dealing with childhood and growing up, often in very dark and mature fashion. The heroine, Utena, dreams of becoming a Prince just like the one that once saved her as a child and battles to protect the mysterious Rose Bride, Anthy, from the male-dominated Ohtori Academy and the many men who seek to [[StandardHeroReward win her as a prize]], [[DomesticAbuse abuse her]], and do other unpleasant things to her. As it turns out, [[spoiler:Anthy is the Witch of the story, despite being a kind and gentle soul who grows closer to Utena, shattering the WickedWitch archetype- meanwhile, Akio Ohtori/Dios, supposedly the WisePrince, is the BigBad End of the World who's adherence to “male virtues” turns him into an abusive monster in a dark example of TestosteronePoisoning]]. It is surreal, and rarely is anything (or anyone) exactly what they seem.

* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' takes the quest to rescue a PrincessClassic, and throws multiple twists into the formula. When the magical kingdom of Cephiro is in danger, [[BarrierMaiden Princess]] [[DamselInDistress Emeraude]] summons three ordinary girls to undertake a grand quest. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are the Magic Knights of legend, tasked with honing their magical powers through a series of trials in order to defeat [[BigBad Zagato]] and rescue the princess from him. [[spoiler:Then the genre [[PlayingWithATrope gets twisted]], as nothing is what it seems. Zagato is merely trying to ''protect'' the woman he [[StarCrossedLovers loves]], as Emeraude has summoned the knights to [[SuicideByCop kill her]] so a new Pillar can be chosen. They only learn the horrible truth after slaying Zagato, sending Emeraude into a murderous rage that threatens to completely destroy the world.]] The second series may be far more of a Feminst Fantasy as not only are more powerful women introduced like the princesses of Chizeta and Fahren, but it also ends with [[spoiler: Hikaru putting an end to the system that put the horrid burden on Princess Emeraude in the first place.]]

* ''Manga/{{Gals}}'' kicks this trope into overdrive. On the surface, it's a SliceOfLife series about the GyaruGirl subculture, and indeed the main characters spend a lot of time talking about clothes and boys. It also features the main character Ran Kotobuki beating up sexual assaulters, criminals, and other bullies nearly OncePerEpisode, all while giving lectures about how girls should respect themselves and not live their life for other people's sake. The very first episode has her talk a girl out of selling her body for CompensatedDating by [[ItMakesSenseInContext giving her a]] GetAHoldOfYourselfWoman.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' [[{{Xenafication}} transforms]] Esmeralda from the weak, fickle woman of the novel into being kind-hearted and street-smart. Even when she's in danger, she [[DefiantCaptive makes]] [[GroinAttack them]] [[DefiantToTheEnd regret]] it. Her role illustrates how unrealistic the MadonnaWhoreComplex truly is, as all three men want her....but while Quasimodo sees her as a perfect angel and Frollo sees her as a wicked temptress, AmazonChaser Phoebus sees and appreciates the ''person''. When Frollo ties her to a stake and threatens to have her [[BurnTheWitch burned as a witch]] if she doesn't become his mistress, she responds by [[SpitefulSpit spitting]] in his face.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' follows the female {{Everyman}} protagonist as she tries to find her place in her magical family while also trying to save said family and their home. While her family includes males and females, special attention is given to her relationships with her female relatives, especially her maternal grandmother. All of the women are flawed, complex but ultimately good people with varying character designs.

* ''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 on and respects them for their help and support, a sharp contrast to the antagonist, a violent HeManWomanHater. Wakanda in general is an egalitarian society with plenty of women in leadership.
** The sequel Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever is an even better example, having the highest female-to-male character ratio out of any MCU film. It focuses on Shuri’s ComingofAgeStory and HerosJourney, 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 GodEmperor and forcing him to yield to her.

* Creator/DavidWeber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, essentially Literature/HoratioHornblower InSpace! Not only does the series follow GenderIsNoObject (except on the planet Grayson, which undergoes its own social development throughout the books), but roughly half the main characters are female, and not all of them are military; most of them are, as you'd expect from a MilitaryScienceFiction series, but diplomats, doctors, politicians, queens, and presidents all get their time in the spotlight.

* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', the second work in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse to be led 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 a man, including her being a hard drinker and having casual sex.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' follows Emma Swan, a tough and cynical BountyHunter who finds her life turned on its head when the son she gave up for adoption shows up on her doorstep. He reveals to her that she is The Savior, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming destined to break the Evil Queen's curse and save the enchanted residents of Storybrooke. Though initially unwilling to believe, over time Emma comes to accept her destiny as a hero. Featuring numerous characters from classical fairy tales and legends, many are re-imagined as heroines in their own right as opposed to typical [[DamselInDistress Damsels]]. Snow White and Prince Charming are a BattleCouple, the Evil Queen is a complex and deeply flawed woman, Belle is a {{Guile Hero}}ine, and even those women that don't physically fight are shown to possess other kinds of strength -- great intelligence, supernatural might, or incredible emotional fortitude.

* ''Series/{{Westworld}}'', being loosely based from [[Film/{{Westworld}} 1973 film]], can be described as a Feminist Fantasy given that one of the showrunners is Lisa Joy, the wife of Creator/JonathanNolan, who is also one of the showrunners. While it is a science fiction show that focuses on artificial intelligence, human nature, and philosophy (particularly on the subject of free will vs. determinism), the protagonists are two female hosts, Dolores and Maeve, who are constantly abused by the human guests and employees. Throughout the show, both women began fighting for the freedom of their species and while they make mistakes along the way, they eventually learn. By the end of Season 3, [[spoiler:Dolores sacrifices herself to destroy the system that is holding the humans' freedom and passes her mission to Maeve to help both the hosts and the humans find their future]].

* ''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 boyfriend [[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.]]

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[[quoteright:275:[[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Xena_sword_4372.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:275:In a time of ancient Gods, Warlords, and Kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle.]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'''s main character may be Zidane, but the majority of the plot is driven by Princess Garnet. Rather than just being a PrincessClassic, she's a highly intelli];gent and determined young woman who (despite her initial naivety) manages to prove her own independence across the game. Supporting females include Freya - who is a powerful dragon knight out to rescue the man she loves, Beatrix - a fearsome [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] who commands the all-female military of Alexandria, and Eiko - a WiseBeyondHerYears six-year-old who is highly skilled and resourceful in the field.

* The Dragonsword Trilogy (a 1980s American woman is taken to another world and becomes a warrior) and other books by Gael Baudino.

* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' takes the quest to rescue a PrincessClassic, and throws multiple twists into the formula. When the magical kingdom of Cephiro is in danger, [[BarrierMaiden Princess]] [[DamselInDistress Emeraude]] summons three ordinary girls to undertake a grand quest. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are the Magic Knights of legend, tasked with honing their magical powers through a series of trials in order to defeat [[BigBad Zagato]] and rescue the princess from him. [[spoiler:Then the genre [[PlayingWithATrope gets twisted]], as nothing is what it seems. Zagato is merely trying to ''protect'' the woman he [[StarCrossedLovers loves]], as Emeraude has summoned the knights to [[SuicideByCop kill her]] so a new Pillar can be chosen. They only learn the horrible truth after slaying Zagato, sending Emeraude into a murderous rage that threatens to completely destroy the world.]]
** The second series may be far more of a Feminst Fantasy as not only are more powerful women introduced like the princesses of Chizeta and Fahren, but it also ends with [[spoiler: Hikaru putting an end to the system that put the horrid burden on Princess Emeraude in the first place.]]

* ''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.

About half the population is female, yet the chances are that any summer blockbuster you can name will have [[MenActWomenAre male heroes saving the world and women as]] their [[DamselInDistress hapless]] LoveInterests--if they even feature at all. And if they do they'll probably only be minor characters [[UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest talking about the men in their lives]]. This invites a question: ''Why?''

* Science fiction and fantasy are suited to examining sexual issues and gender-relations by depicting alternative societies (maybe a LadyLand or the result of a {{Gendercide}}) or species with [[BizarreAlienBiology unfamiliar sexual biology]], or by subjecting characters to {{Gender Bend|er}}ing. (See also SpeculativeFictionLGBT.)

** ''Anime/YurikumaArashi'' may actually unseat ''Utena'' in terms of [[AuthorTract unbridled fury]] at the patriarchal structure of Japanese society, particularly in how it affects the way that women, especially lesbians, are portrayed in fictional media. Initially presented as a surreal fairy-tale take on the YuriGenre set in an all-female high school in a world where humans and bears have been separated by a massive Severance Wall, it rapidly becomes clear that not only does Ikuhara intend to [[DeconstructorFleet subvert and even deconstruct]] the sexist and homophobic assumptions [[ValuesDissonance underlying many such works and tropes]], but to explore how the implicit and explicit condemnation of nonconformity (especially with love, sexuality and gender roles) adversely affects how individuals look at themselves and others. Of course, [[BrokenBase opinions are divided on how well it managed to do this]], with some claiming that the series is a massive BrokenAesop that is guilty of the same pandering it condemns, and the [[MindScrew surreal and confusing presentation]] does not help.
* Creator/HayaoMiyazaki identifies himself as a feminist, and the numerous films of Creator/StudioGhibli typically feature female protagonists that are brave, clever, and strong-willed. He is not fond of the cliche where the lead male and female characters must end up together and wants to show love in other forms (the only film of his with a typical boy-meets-girl love story is ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''). He is openly critical of {{Otaku}} culture and sexist portrayals of women in media, such as {{Moe}} characters.

* ''Manga/WitchHatAtelier'': Other than being known for its [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt utterly gorgeous and jaw-dropping artstyle and paneling.]] Witch Hat Atelier is also known for its multitude of strong female leads with zero fanservice as well as delving into ''very'' sensitive topics such as sexual assault, victim blaming, and disability discrimination. Hell, its message on empowerment is so strong that the manga ''dedicated'' an entire chapter outright criticizing ''both'' Japan's treatment of sexual assault ''and'' the serious harmful effects on the ChivalrousPervert trope prevalent in the manga/anime industry to real-life treatment of women.
* ''Manga/TheWitchAndTheBeast'': Nearly every ''single'' female character in the Witch and the Beast are action girls that is well developed and could hold their own in a fight with zero fanservice. Even the ''one-off side characters'' has more agency than a good majority of female characters in the shonen genre. If anything, for a seinen in particular, the female characters is shown with ''more'' limelight and with more ''power'' than their male counterparts to the point that the [[MoreDeadlyThanTheMale More Deadly Than The Male]] trope is a ''given'' throughout the series. Is there any wonder why a significant chunk of the fanbase are women?

** The notable thing about the series, however, is that it doesn't go and present the path of an idealized 'super tomboy' as an alternative, but contains large amounts of pink and frills and unicorns... and turns them into symbols of cosmic power, generally avoiding the message that you have to fit into a certain "box". Sure, there's one tomboyish character, but she's not ''defined'' by that and gets intricate motivations and characterization. There's a princessy hopeless romantic, but also someone who wants to become a doctor. What really set the show apart (especially compared to the American cartoons of the time who just had a token smurfette, BettyAndVeronica or at best a TomboyAndGirlyGirl contrast where the character is completely defined by their possession or lack of whatever "girlyness" is supposed to be) is that the various female characters have distinct, varied personalities not built around stereotypes related to their gender, but something that is sensibly related to the plot, such as the elemental powers associated with their planets.
* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' features a school girl battling magical creatures, taming said creatures, and then using them to expand her personal army. She becomes the Mistress of the Clow Cards not by beating Yue over the head with her staff but by attempting to befriend him. One reason (of many) that the dub is despised is that it did its best to downplay Sakura's role in the US broadcast and increase Xiaolang's[[note]]To the point where it tried to make it look as though he was the main character.[[/note]] because it didn't think there was an audience for this sort of thing.[[note]]Along with fears that it would be perceived as reinforcing various female stereotypes.[[/note]] Sakura is still clearly the main character in other regions which received the Nelvana dub and did not have episodes cut, and the dub is in fact a Feminist Fantasy in its own way since it gives her a [[DubPersonalityChange more tomboyish personality]] in a genre that primarily enforces Japanese perceptions of feminine gender roles.

* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' is a surreal tale set at a ballet school and centered around an old fairy tale being acted out. Ahiru takes on the role of Princess Tutu, and becomes a MagicalGirl that uses dance to free the missing shards of the Prince's heart. As the story unfolds and the true nature of events becomes clear, Ahiru must find a way to save Prince Mytho and [[ScrewDestiny defy]] the original tragic ending of the story that the Raven and Drosselmeyer are intent on bringing about.

* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'': Often regarded as the the most well-known and oldest modern anime Feminist Fantasy, and has been cited as an influence on ''[[Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Utena]]''; it follows Oscar, a noblewoman raised as a man in order to inherit her father's place as commander of the Palace Guard. Set prior to UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, Oscar is torn between class loyalty and her strong sense of justice, as well as the conflict between her gender and the militant life she leads.

* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' stars an almost entirely female cast, all HalfHumanHybrid warriors that hunt the shape-shifting Youma. The woman are varied in both their personalities and appearances, with some being stunningly beautiful and some being downright unattractive. Beauty is [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished tarnished]] frequently, and the women are treated as powerful and determined warriors that form strong bonds or rivalries with each other. Fanservice is almost entirely absent, and what little nudity there is usually involves BodyHorror.

** ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' stars Major Mototo Kusanagi, a cyborg police woman. Throughout the continuities, Motoko goes up against various male [[DiabolicalMastermind criminal masterminds]], and always wins in the end. Her comrades are male as well, but she is the one in the spotlight.

** ''Anime/DominionTankPolice'' stars {{Shorttank}} Leona Ozaki, a police officer that drives a customized tank to battle crime in a futuristic city. She joins a police unit that is crippled by TestosteronePoisoning, and helps make it actually effective, while being just as HotBlooded as her boss.
* ''Franchise/{{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.
* ''Literature/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.

* Ironically, ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' of all series counts. The Anarchy sisters are powerful figures who are in full control of their sexuality and embody a very crude form of WishFulfillment for girls. Plus for all the fanservice that takes place there's just as much sex humor that doesn't pander to the MaleGaze (or might even be FanDisservice to them). A good chunk of the show's jokes involves lampshading, subverting, or averting the gender DoubleStandard.

* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' takes many of the standards of the Shoujo genre -- a beautiful heroine with numerous potential male suitors -- and makes the heroine a {{Princess|Protagonist}} with a BattleHarem. According to legend, the Kingdom of Kouka was founded by a Dragon God that took human form and his four Dragon Warriors, beings blessed with the blood of the other Dragons that wished to protect their king. Princess Yona is the only child of the kingdom's pacifist king, and lives a sheltered life in the palace. But one night, she witnesses her beloved [[KissingCousins cousin]], [[BigBad Soo-Won]], murder her father and is narrowly saved from death by General Hak, her [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]]. Together, they become fugitives and begin a journey to locate the descendants of the original Dragon Warriors so that Yona can reclaim her kingdom. While initially [[DamselInDistress weak]], Yona quickly shows herself to have an unbreakable will and refuses to simply be protected -- learning to fight with a bow and a sword, becoming a {{Warrior Prince}}ss through intense and tireless training. As the reincarnation of the legendary Dragon-King Hiryuu, she is TheChosenOne and undergoes considerable CharacterDevelopment while [[TookALevelInBadass taking]] many levels in badass along her journey to save her kingdom, not only fighting against Soo-Won, but defeats many other villains such as Yang Kum-Ji, an aristocrat slaver who victimizes many women and children.
* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'' blends the MagicalGirlWarrior with the IdolSinger, featuring young women that save the world with magical armor that runs off ThePowerOfRock.
* ''Anime/UmaMusume'' is surprisingly Feminist, particularly since it's primarily a MoeAnthropomorphism series. But the cutesy premise and fancy costumes take back seat to an exciting, inspiring SportsAnime. The series heavily focuses on the athletic prowess of the girls, as well as the powerful bonds of friendship and [[FriendlyRival rivalry]] between them. Each girl is a SpiritedCompetitor that loves a challenge, pushing the other girls to become stronger runners and give them the best race possible. Whether teammates or fierce rivals, they support each other in pursuing their dreams and never resort to catty behavior, jealousy, or foul play.
* In ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'''s Cyfandir arc (volume 5-10), female aspiring knight Ocoho is the {{deuteragonist}} and arguably the true hero, who contributes to unveiling the conspiracies surrounding the kingdom, [[spoiler:takes down a ship of Baron Merchants after her childhood friend Mordred's treason]] and indirectly opens Queen Boadicea's eyes on her mistakes. More generally, while the series' protagonist is male the story features a number of female characters who are not only as strong, active and developed as the male ones, but also take an equal amount of physical damage, if not ''more'', with little-to-no MaleGaze. The author confirmed in volume 11's Q&A that he took great care in fleshing out male and female characters equally.
* ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' is a series about Shirayuki, a red-haired herbalist making her own way in the world where she escapes an attempt to make her a concubine by fleeing to the kingdom of Clarines. The series becomes all about Shirayuki and her attempt to create a new life for herself, her own struggles, passions, and eventual mutually respectful romance with Clarines' Prince Zen, who values her as the person she is, along with with Shirayuki's relationships to those about her.

* ''Literature/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.

* ''Manga/ACentaursLife'' is an UrbanFantasy SliceOfLife story revolving around high-school aged girls of different mythical species. They go about their days in regular high school, going on wacky adventures together, and discussing heavy social themes.

** ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' deals with beings from Fairy Tales and mythology living in exile in modern-day New York. It explores some of the darker aspects of the original tales, and deconstructs many of the problematic elements found there. In particular, Prince Charming is the prince from ''most'' stories, and a serial divorcee unable to find happiness as a result. Snow White is often the focus of the series, having grown into a strong-willed politician that runs much of Fabletown's daily business. Just don't mention the seven Dwarves. Consisting of a massive ensemble cast, almost every single female character has developed over the centuries into a force to be reckoned with. The war in the Homelands, as well as changes in human society, have transformed them into modern women, often looking unfavorably on certain aspects of their pasts. The {{Spin Off}}s, ''Fairest'', ''From Fabletown With Love'', and ''Fables Are Forever'' all focus on the women of the series. The later two are solo adventures starring Cinderella, [[spoiler: Fabletown's master spy and assassin]] in James Bond-style adventures. Issues of female sensuality and sexuality, motherhood, reproductive rights, healthy and unhealthy relationships, misogyny, and sexism are all touched on or explored within the series.
** Characters/PowerGirl has always been portrayed as a powerful heroine, and often stands out from other female characters in having muscular build. Her CleavageWindow (easily her most marketed feature) is a point of contention, with people both in-and-out of universe asking exactly how seriously she, Kara, can be taken in such an outfit. How it's resolved is usually DependingOnTheWriter.
** Characters/{{Supergirl}} has had multiple incarnations, but is always one of the most powerful heroes around since she is the DistaffCounterpart to Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}.

* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' is a series with explicit Feminist themes, and the decades-long work of married creators Wendy and Richard Pini. The series explores gender roles through culture clash, features multiple examples of female leaders and warriors, takes pot shots at the Comic Industry's bias against female creators, and features an incredible variety of female characters. In particular, long-time lovers Nightfall and Redlance defy typical gender roles with her as a fierce Huntress and Warrior, while he is a gentle [[GreenThumb Plantshaper]]. The BigBad, Winnowill, is also a woman. During the 80s, the possibility of a Saturday Morning cartoon was explored, but ultimately abandoned when ExecutiveMeddling came into play. The studio demanded that PolarOppositeTwins Ember and Suntop be given a personality switch, as they didn't want a [[{{Tomboy}} tough]] future Chieftess and a [[NonActionGuy gentle]] boy. The Pinis walked away rather than comply.

* ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' features a FinalGirl who becomes a SerialKillerKiller, traveling the country fighting undead beings known as "Slashers". Cassie Hack is [[MadeOfIron tough as nails]], highly intelligent, and a bit concerned that her mother's murderous impulses may be InTheBlood because she's ''really'' good at fighting monsters. She travels with the deformed Vlad, who looks like a bit like [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason]], but is actually the more gentle and kindhearted of the pair. The series deals head-on with many of the misogynistic tropes of Horror films, and Cassie often works to help other women go from victims to {{Action Survivor}}s capable of fighting for themselves. Often compared to [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]], another series involving the designated female victim killing monsters.

* ''ComicBook/MagicalBeatdown'' is a hyper-violent street harassment revenge fantasy about an average video-game loving schoolgirl who transforms into a foul-mouthed and rage-fuelled MagicalGirl when provoked.

** Depending heavily upon the creators involved, ''ComicBook/RedSonja'' is an early example with a powerful, independent female warrior who focused strongly upon defending the weak and turning the tables on her male foes. Some [[ChainmailBikini aspects]] [[BestHerToBedHer of]] [[RapeAsBackstory the]] character come under question, or have been poorly handled by creators and undermined the more positive elements. This has resulted in Sonja being a highly controversial character, alternately praised as an iconic Feminist heroine or decried as a juvenile representation of a heroine. The incarnation being written by creator Creator/GailSimone has been highly-praised.

* ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} was created as this, though changes in Feminist ideals and poor handling by creators has strayed from that. Designed and co-created by feminist Trina Robbins, she was a strong, powerful, independent heroine with a seductive appearance ''and'' innate goodness. Like the equally-controversial Red Sonja, she was created during the Second Wave of Feminism -- an era that dealt with women's sexuality, rejection of sexual repression, and reproductive rights.

%%* The Daughters of the Dragon mini-series staring Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.

* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' has the focus on Chloe Cerise, who doesn't ''want'' to be the "female companion of Ash Ketchum who goes on a journey and finds her GoalInLife via Pokémon" but feels all the pressure when everyone ''else'' expects her to follow this role because of her father (the local Pokémon Professor) and sees that those creatures just take everyone's attention away from her, making her feel unloved and unwanted. When she finds herself on the Infinity Train, the first thing she does is get a change in wardrobe, swapping the school uniform with anchors with a dress for fish to symbolize her freedom, and decides that she's going to discover herself while on the train and not give a Fletchling about her family and friends' worry for her because she knows that going back home will mean everyone just forcing her to go along with their wishes and her going back to the status quo.

** Finally, Chloe does not have a love interest of any kind. The closest she gets is Lexi (who is dressed as the boy of her nightmares but acts more like an advisor and friend), and her growth in this story and the sequel is about trying to amend fences with her {{Childhood Friend|s}}. She faces a lot of pressure when she constantly gets labeled different things from "Monster Lover" to "Princess". [[spoiler:The Unown construct of her even plays with it; everyone always sees her differently like a statue, a fragile china doll, and even just herself with her mouth stitched up, reflecting how the real Chloe is never really seen as a person.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' is the TropeCodifier as far as Disney examples go. The villain Maleficent is a LadyOfBlackMagic and referred to as the Mistress of ''All'' Evil. She's notably stronger, more powerful and much smarter than the typical Disney villain. So effective is she that she's effectively ''won'' [[NearVillainVictory by the end of the second act]]. On the heroes' side, the three Good Fairies drive the plot. They hide the princess from Maleficent for years and create the counter spell to save her. When Prince Philip is captured, the fairies are the ones that rescue him and provide him with the tools necessary to stop Maleficent. ''Blog/UnshavedMouse'' noted how unusual even today it is for a film to feature three female protagonists who don't provide {{Fanservice}}, pass UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, and don't end up as someone's love interest.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' features an [[BrainyBrunette intelligent]], free-spirited heroine that loves to read and dreams of living a life of adventure. Belle stands her ground against JerkJock Gaston and the titular [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Beast]], calling them on their behavior and refusing to change herself to suit others.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Tiana is a hard-working, determined young woman with a dream of opening her own restaurant. [[spoiler: She faces down the BigBad to save Naveen, winning through her refusal to accept the temptation of an easy fix. She then confronts the businessmen that refused to sell the restaurant to her, and goes on to achieve her dream of opening a thriving business that she runs with Naveen at her side.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel, while having [[TheIngenue multiple]] PrincessClassic [[FriendToAllLivingThings traits]], uses her 70-foot long hair and a frying pan as weapons. When her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] refuses to let her leave her tower to see the yearly lights in the sky that she's always dreamed of watching up close, she knocks out the thief who breaks into her tower, ties him up with her hair, and talks him into showing her where the lights take place.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' stars Merida, a RebelliousPrincess that is something of a tomboy. She's an exceptional archer, as well as skilled at horseback riding and rock climbing, and constantly battles with her strict, traditional mother. The story focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, as an ArrangedMarriage and a curse forces them to work together and begin understanding one another better. [[spoiler: Merida comes to see her mother's quiet strength, and the heavy responsibility she shoulders as both a mother and a Queen. Meanwhile, Queen Elinor comes to respect her daughter's independence and decides against forcing her into a political marriage. As a ''literal'' MamaBear, she faces down and defeats a monster bear in order to protect her husband and children. The curse is lifted once Merida is able to accept her mistakes, and reconcile with her mother. The political marriage is called off, with both Merida ''and'' her suitors declaring that they want to MarryForLove and the relationship between Elinor and Merida strengthened considerably.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' has BadassAdorable Vanellope Von Schweetz and SpaceMarine Sgt. Calhoun, as one half of the gender-balanced main cast. Vanellope is a glitched character in a racing game, and blackmails Ralph into helping her win the next big race. [[spoiler: In doing so, the game will be reset and she'll reclaim her rightful place as the Main Character. Though she's really a Princess, she gives up the throne in favor of becoming President.]] Sgt. Calhoun is the commander in a First Person Shooter, acting as the player's guide and generally kicking ass as a [[Franchise/MassEffect Fem!Shep]] {{Expy}}. Having been WidowedAtTheWedding when a Cy-bug ate the groom, she's determined to track down and destroy the Cy-bug threat. [[spoiler: She ends up marrying Fix-It Felix Jr., who falls in LoveAtFirstPunch and avoids his predecessor's fate due to the wedding involving massive amounts of firepower. The ending credits feature them as a BattleCouple.]] It's also noteworthy for the decision to use a [[GamerChick young girl]] as the AudienceSurrogate for the events outside the video games.

* ''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 [[TheSmurfettePrinciple token girl]] in a male-dominated profession.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' is a notable departure from many Disney traditions, a fact the company made a point to advertise. Though the chieftain's daughter, Moana is shown to be the sole heir and next in line to lead her people, without any mention of marriage being necessary. In fact, the company noted that she would not have a {{Love Interest|s}} or romantic sub-plot. The film instead focuses on her as TheChosenOne that undergoes a quest to find the demi-god Maui, and save the world.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' is an AffectionateParody of the Silver Age of Comics. Roxanne Ritchie is a [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]]-style reporter and frequent DamselInDistress for various evil schemes, but she's easily the most level-headed character and her skills as a journalist save the day repeatedly throughout the movie. The villain Tighten turns evil when Roxanne tells him that she is not interested in him, as he had figured that heroics would automatically entitle him to his crush.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets'' is not amazingly ground breaking, and is more focused on its male characters like most films, but notably [[spoiler: TheHero (and his friend)]] are [[DistressedDude saved]] by the [[spoiler: hero's {{Love Interest|s}}, who beats up a large group of big dogs, cats, and even an ''alligator'' for him]]. This is what finally causes him to [[AmazonChaser notice her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' manages to be this [[DownplayedTrope to an extent.]] The main protagonist is Princess Odette and while she's not an ActionGirl, she is portrayed as strong-willed, intelligent and courageous. She refuses to go through with an ArrangedMarriage to Prince Derek even though [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage she loves him]] because she thinks he [[LovingAShadow only likes her for her looks,]] saying she needs to know he loves her for herself. After being kidnapped and cursed by Rothbart, who wants to [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe marry her]] to 'legally' take over her kingdom, she [[DefiantCaptive utterly refuses to cooperate.]] [[note]] she is established to be her father's rightful heir [[GenderIsNoObject regardless of the fact she's a woman]], in an aversion of HeirClubForMen [[/note]] Although she needs Derek to break the spell by [[ThePowerOfLove making a vow of true love to her,]] she doesn't sit around waiting for him to arrive; she comes up with a plan to steal one of Rothbart's maps to locate Derek's kingdom and then takes advantage of the fact she turns into a swan to fly off and find him. She's a DamselInDistress in the climax, though not through lack of trying, doing everything she could to warn Derek of Rothbart's plan. Derek also saves her by telling her he truly loves her "for her kindness and courage" as opposed to her physical beauty.

* ''WesternAnimation/AprilAndTheExtraordinaryWorld'' follows the titular ScienceHero protagonist in an AlternateHistory who goes on adventures of eluding corrupt cops, reuniting with her parents, and saving humanity. And while she has a love interest, it doesn't take precedent over her character arc.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' follows the female {{Everyman}} protagonist as she tries to find her place in her magical family while also trying to save said family and their home. While her family include males and females, special attention is given to her relationships with her female relatives, especially her maternal grandmother. All of the women are flawed, complex but ultimately good people with varying character designs.

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

* One interpretation of ''Film/BloodMachines'' can be seen as a {{Cosmic Horror|Story}} spin on the idea. The VillainProtagonist Vascan is a StrawMisogynist who abuses his female-coded AI, brutalizes an all-female crew and captures and threatens to rape one of them. [[spoiler:His captive would go on to kill him in a HoneyTrap, takes control of his body through an invasive form of magic that can be construed as a rape metaphor, the AI he abused rebels and evolves into a HumanoidAbomination and the film ends with him becoming an unwilling passenger of a god-like entity that resembles a woman.]]
* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' uses the DeconReconSwitch to hang many a lampshade on classic fairy tales, with PrincessClassic Giselle being banished to modern-day New York by her WickedStepmother, Narissa. There, she meets jaded divorce lawyer Robert and his daughter, who is thrilled to meet a fairytale princess. Prince Edward follows his betrothed to New York to rescue her, while Giselle and Robert begin to see the positive aspects of the other's world view as she tries to help him instill some romance into his relationship with his fiancée Nancy. [[spoiler: In the end, Giselle is saved from a poisoned apple by Robert's kiss, and rescues him in turn when Narissa transforms herself into a dragon. They become a couple, and Giselle opens a business making fairytale princess dresses for little girls. Edward elopes with Nancy, having finally found the romance she's wanted. The queen's henchman stays in New York and becomes a successful Self-Help author.]]
* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' is a PerspectiveFlip [[TwiceToldTale retelling]] of ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', starring Creator/AngelinaJolie. Drawing comparisons to ''Literature/{{WICKED}}'', it [[AdaptationalHeroism reimagines Maleficent]] as a complex woman who changes from heroic guardian of the Moors, to vengeful girl victimized by the [[StrawMisogynist misogynistic]] [[AdaptationalVillainy King Stephan]], and finally into an antihero over the many years the film covers. She serves as an unwitting mother figure to Aurora and helps to mold the princess into a wise and strong-willed young woman. Aurora is notably more proactive in this telling of the story, with far more character development and agency than is normally seen in most versions of Sleeping Beauty. [[spoiler: She is also not woken from her sleep by Prince Philip, who even points out that he doesn't know her well enough to be in love yet. Instead, it is Maleficent who awakens Aurora with a remorseful kiss to the forehead -- having included in her curse that all who met Aurora would come to love her.]] Of course, [[BrokenBase the many changes were not exactly received positively by everyone]], with some claiming that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the film tries too hard to be feminist]] and ultimately comes across as an {{Anvilicious}} fantasy-flavored LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek.

* 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.

* The spinoff, ''Film/AVPAlienVsPredator'' honors this tradition of a strong female protagonist, with mountaineer/guide Alexa caught between two of science fiction's most iconic alien threats. She is highly resourceful and fierce enough of a fighter to earn the respect of the Predator warrior she forges an uneasy alliance with. The [[Franchise/AlienVsPredator novels and comics]] the film is loosely based on give us an even greater badass in Machiko, a Security officer that ends up being adopted into a clan of Predators for a time.

* Another film by Creator/GuillermoDelToro is ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', a haunting [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice In Wonderland]]-ish fairy tale set against the harsh reality of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. Ofelia, a girl with a vivid imagination and great curiosity, has moved into the countryside with her widowed mother and new [[WickedStepmother step-father]], the brutal Captain Vidal. There, she discovers a mysterious old labyrinth and encounters a Faun, who reveals to her that she is a lost princess from the Underworld. She is faced with three tests, meant to show whether her time in the human world has diminished her true self or not. Meanwhile, the family's maid, Mercedes, attempts to help the rebels against her employer and protect Ofelia. Melding a dark and nightmarish fantasy world with very real human cruelty, it deals directly with themes of misogyny, marriages of convenience, and societies that value male children over everything else. Ofelia is a brave, intelligent, and strong-willed heroine unwilling to be bound by her cruel step-father, while Mercedes is a woman of incredible courage and conviction who famously gives Captain Vidal a half GlasgowGrin when he threatens to torture her and makes it clear, before [[spoiler: the rebels gun him down, that his son will ''never'' know a thing about him]]. While ambiguous in the film itself, WordOfGod confirms that the supernatural elements of Ofelia's journey are real.
* Yet another Creator/GuillermoDelToro example is GothicHorror ''Film/CrimsonPeak''. The main character is a SpiritedYoungLady and proto-feminist named Edith Cushing, who is determined to become a published writer regardless of what everyone else thinks, would rather be writing ghost stories than romances, chooses to MarryForLove and sets about investigating the mysteries of [[HauntedHouse Allerdale Hall]] by herself. Edith's {{Love Interest|s}} Thomas Sharpe admires her intelligence and creativity, and in their love scene, he bares a lot more skin than her (which was actually his actor, Tom Hiddleston's suggestion). Most of the ghosts turn out to be [[spoiler: Thomas' murdered wives, who are actually [[DarkIsNotEvil just trying to warn Edith]]]]. It's also revealed that the true villain is [[spoiler: Lucille Sharpe, who is quite an intelligent and formidable, though very unhinged, DarkActionGirl who is the real mastermind of the murders; Thomas is largely subservient to her and a victim of DomesticAbuse on her part]]. In the climax, [[spoiler: Edith's other Love Interest Alan comes to save her, but is badly injured, prompting Edith to save [[RescueReversal both him]] [[DamselOutDistress and herself]]]].

* ''Film/MirrorMask'', a hauntingly beautiful dark fantasy written by Creator/NeilGaiman. Helena dreams of leaving the circus, but after a fight, her mother falls mysteriously ill. Traveling to a strange and magical world, she encounters many individuals who resemble those she knows in the real world. The White Queen (resembling her mother) has fallen ill, after the Dark Princess (resembling Helena) stole her Charm and without it, the world is dying. Helena undertakes a quest to save the world and her mother, venturing to the Darklands to confront the Dark Queen (again, her mother). A surreal coming of age tale, it remains ambiguous whether it was AllJustADream or [[OrWasItADream not]].

* ''Film/KillBill'' is a two-part epic and love-letter to numerous genres in the process. When an assassin tries to settle down into a normal life, her former comrades interrupt her wedding rehearsal and slaughter those present. She awakens from her coma years later and begins a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against them that spans continents and cinema genres. [[NoNameGiven The Bride]] and the female assassins she faces are all exceptional warriors, engaging in brutal duels to the death and leaving carnage in their wake. The subtle elements of fantasy are borrowed from classic Hong Kong films, with people displaying martial arts that border on the supernatural. Most notably, the HermitGuru was said to be able to use a FingerPokeOfDoom to kill enemies after they took five steps.

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

** That being said, ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' has received controversy for the way it handles the female characters; Rey is revealed to have inherited her power from a male relative which some have argued overshadows Rey herself (''Film/TheLastJedi'' strongly suggested she was RandomlyGifted) and she ends up kissing a man who tortured and stalked her. Rose Tico - the first female Asian lead in the movies - is DemotedToExtra (after the actress was harassed online with racist and sexist comments) and newcomers Zorii Bliss and Jannah are largely defined by their relationships to Poe and Finn. In spite of this, Rey is still firmly the main hero of the story.

* Japanese [[JapaneseDelinquents Sukeban]] and Female {{Yakuza}} B-movies of the late 60s and early 70s, despite being classified as {{Exploitation Film}}s and many of them including sexual violence, showed women outwitting and defeating the Yakuza who, despite being criminals, were still part of institutionalised patriarchy.

* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'', written by a woman and featuring women as the human protagonist and the main villain. The {{Prequel}} focuses heavily on the [[ABoyAndHisX bond]] that develops between [[WrenchWench Charlie]] Watson and the titular Autobot. Frequenting a junkyard to find parts for an old sports car, Charlie becomes fascinated with a broken-down [=VW=] Bug and takes it home to begin fixing it up. The car turns out to be a badly-damaged Autobot with a faulty memory core and missing voice components. She befriends and nicknames him Bumblebee, and begins working on repairing the alien as best she can. As the government and a pair of Decepticons close in on them, Charlie and Bumblebee must save Earth from destruction.
* ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' is a fiercely and unapologetically feminist film, bringing the heroine to the screen in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'''s first film to be centered around a female protagonist. An AmnesiacHero, Vers is a Kree warrior fighting in the galactic war against the shapeshifting Skrulls when she crash-lands on Earth in the 1990s. Forming a partnership with a young Nick Fury, Vers begins to discover clues to her own past as a human fighter pilot named Carol Danvers. The film features several TakeThat moments to common criticisms that women face such as seeming unfriendly for not "smiling enough" or being required to prove themselves to gate-keeping men. In a twist on the classic mythos, [[spoiler: the mysterious woman from Carol's past turns out to have been the original Mar-Vell]] and the final confrontation concludes with [[spoiler: Carol ignoring her former commander's taunts to fight him on ''his'' terms, blasting him into a mountain before stating she doesn't have to prove herself to him]]. The film is a Power Fantasy for women, portraying numerous badass women that are unapologetic in their confidence and ability. It also takes the time to include messages of inspiration for the next generation of girls, encouraging them to pursue their ambitions without compromise.

* ''Film/FastColor'': The film centers on three female generations of one family-Bo, her daughter Ruth, and Ruth's daughter Lila. Because of their superpowers (which are also shown to be exclusively held by females), they're on the run from men who want them for their uses. Further, they're black or mixed race, which is also unusual.
* ''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, a sharp contrast to the antagonist, a violent HeManWomanHater. Wakanda in general is an egalitarian society with plenty of women in leadership.
** The sequel, Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever is an even better example, having the highest female-to-male character ratio out of any MCU film. It focuses on Shuri’s ComingofAgeStory and HerosJourney, 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 GodEmperor and forcing him to yield to her.

* ''Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves'' is perhaps one of the earliest examples of such a tale. While the story is named for the titular Ali Baba, he is a DecoyProtagonist that innocently goes through the story being threatened by the Thieves. The true hero of the story is Morgiana, the clever slave-girl that systematically outwits and kills the thieves to protect her master. At the finale of the story, she is granted her freedom and marries Ali Baba's son -- a Gender Inversion of the StandardHeroReward.

* Creator/RobertEHoward's own Dark Agnes de Chastillon may have been written earlier,[[note]]The first recorded mention of Dark Agnes is when Howard sent a copy of his first Agnes story, "Sword Woman", to Moore after having read her first Jirel story in Weird Tales, so it is unclear if he wrote Sword Woman after having read Moore's story or if he had written it beforehand and, failing to get it published, sent it to Moore after reading her Jirel yarn.[[/note]] although her stories was only published long after Howard's death. Compered to Jirel it has lighter on the fantasy (fantastical elements only appeared in the unfinished third and last story), but MUCH heavier on the feminism. To quote Jessica Amanda Salmonson: "Had a woman written of Agnes in a similar manner, the author would have been charged with man-hating, frigidity, being a castrating bitch, a crazy radical."

* The ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' books were written to challenge the portrayals of women in Sci Fi in the 60s and 70s. However, they are now subject to ValuesDissonance.

%%* Another 1970s heroic-fantasy and science fiction author whose works featured strong women was Elizabeth A. Lynn.

* ''Literature/ChildrenOfMotherEarth'' features a GreenAesop, it is a futuristic fantasy that is located in Greenland, which, due to global warming, is ''actually'' green (the rest of the world has become a barren wasteland). The changes made to society to make the lifestyle more sustainable include the removal of patriarchy. Men are not allowed to carry weapons so that they can't attempt to oppress women once again, but in all other respects, society is equal (and men can get a special permission to carry weapons if they really need to).

* ''Literature/{{Dreamsnake}}'' (a post-apocalyptic story in which the protagonist's talent is healing, not fighting, but she's definitely active center of the story), and other books by Creator/VondaNMcIntyre. Men and women are completely equal, non-nuclear families are normalized, and [[MasterOfYourDomain biocontrol]] has given everyone complete sexual and reproductive freedom and thus removed most taboos surrounding sex.
* ''Literature/TheTrueGame'' series by Creator/SheriSTepper; in this setting, where magic combines with technology, there are many strong women characters, and the second and third parts are told from women’s point of view. Tepper writes more science fiction than fantasy, but always focusing on women.

* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' series varies from book to book. ''Dreams of Steel'' and ''Water Sleeps'' both have a female protagonist, from whose perspective we see most of the events, and who shows strength of character, a lot of competence, military skill, and the capability to hold her own in a deeply sexist society; and they aren't the only competent female characters in those books. Croaker's books seem to flip-flop on this - the first four books have his relationship with the female EvilOverlord as an important element, but her portrayal in ''The Black Company'' and ''The White Rose'' is much more rounded than in ''Shadows Linger'' and ''Shadow Games'' (in which she is either not present most of time or [[spoiler: still hasn't pulled herself back together after being depowered]]). The Murgen books (''Bleak Seasons'' and ''She Is the Darkness''), ''The Silver Spike'' and ''Soldiers Live'' seems to be the least feminist-friendly: though a fair number of competent women appear in various capacities, they're just given much less focus than in other books of the series.

* Creator/MelanieRawn tackles this head on in her ''Exiles'' series, set in a matriarchal society where women are the dominant gender — the rulers, leaders, the soldiers. Men are to be cosseted and cared for, submissive to their wives, and so forth.

* ''Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles'', a ScienceFantasy series whose protagonist, Elspeth, is an ActionHero, and there are plenty of others in the series. The same author also wrote Literature/TheLegendsongSaga, a TrappedInAnotherWorld tale.

* The ''Wolf Walker'' series by Tara K. Harper. A mixture of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, it involves women that share a telepathic bond with wolves -- primarily focused on Dion, a healer and scout. Other novels focus on her daughter, Nori or NaiveNewcomer Rezsia.

* ''Literature/RangersAtRoadsend'', and the other volumes of the Celaeno series, by Jane Fletcher features lots of ass-kicking women who are members of the military elite unit, the Rangers, and a society completely free of sexism.

* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' and the resulting films based on it. Taking place AfterTheEnd, Katniss Everdeen finds herself thrust into political plots and revolution after volunteering as a Tribute to save her younger sister. Katniss is an intelligent, strong-willed, and courageous woman who secretly hunts to provide for her poor family, a skill-set that allows her to become a serious contender in the Hunger Games. Her victory in the first Games leads her to become a symbol of rebellion, igniting a revolution that she is quickly swept up into. One of her [[BettyAndVeronica potential]] love interests is notably more gentle and artistic compared to Katniss, who has to deal with the dark side of fame -- being forced into the box of the beautiful woman in love, as opposed to her true self.

* Despite appearing to be just another ParanormalRomance series on the surface, ''Literature/NightWorld'' still manages to be this. All nine books (and the unreleased tenth book too) have female protagonists and all of them generally manage to be intelligent, strong-minded, proactive, and heroic in their own way, with some of them being straight-up {{Action Girl}}s. And this isn't even counting all the secondary or supporting female characters. Many of the girls successfully protect themselves or rescue their male love interests, even when he's a supernatural being and she’s 'just' a human. Although romance is always central to the plots, the female protagonists are also not defined solely by their romantic relationships, usually having goals and interests outside this too. Witches are explicitly matriarchal and matrilineal while not looking down on men, and are generally portrayed as being more reasonable and sympathetic than other factions of Night People – the explicitly patriarchal and outright misogynistic Redferns come across as a lot more villainous. Women are also responsible for or directly involved in many of the major events of the series, including the war with the dragons, the creation of the vampire species, the alliance that formed the basis of the Night World and the reformation of [[LaResistance Circle Daybreak]] among many others. Some of the books also touch on themes of female empowerment and inequality (mostly ''Daughters of Darkness'', ''Spellbinder'' and ''Dark Angel''); ''The Chosen'' also stands out due to revolving around a female vampire hunter who almost single-handedly takes on a vampire slave ring targeting vulnerable young girls, with the assistance of an escaped victim who turns her victimisation on its head to fool the slavers and help the other girls (the vampire hunter's love interest is also attracted to her partly ''because'' of [[AmazonChaser her strength and combat prowess]]).

* ''Literature/TheFactoryWitchesOfLowell'' (first published in 2020) takes place in the 1800's and centers on the recently-unionized girl workers of a textile factory who stand up to the all-male staff of overseers, agents, and factory owners to bargain for fair wages and safer working conditions. The "fantasy" elements are restricted to a pinch of witchcraft the mill girls use to keep their picket line strong, but their opponents rely on old-fashioned sexism to fuel their arguments. The men openly discuss the need for their female workforce to be docile and biddable, to limit their aspirations to the domestic sphere, and submit unquestioningly to the patriarchal leadership of their employers or husbands.

* ''Literature/{{Quarters}}'': The series portrays complete gender equality with the societies it focuses on, and most of the main characters in the books are women. Issues which heavily affect women such as motherhood and body autonomy are explored, but take it as a given that their rights are equal as a result of the above.
* Much of Franchise/StarWars 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.

* 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).

* ''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/Charmed1998'' is a feminist fantasy that featured three women banding together and saving the world. This is especially true of earlier seasons when the story seemed very focused on vulnerable women preyed on by aggressive male characters. The fantasy was that they were witches and could thus defend themselves from all of these threats. Also, Charmed was very focused on celebrating women in general with the Halliwells descended from a long line of strong women. Like the original show, the [[Series/Charmed2018 new series]] also revolves around three sisters as its main protagonists and often involves women's issues as well. In fact, their mother was even a professor of women's studies at the local university.
* ''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/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.

** ... 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.

* 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 [[HeirClubForMen the heir to the throne is a woman]].

* ''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.
* ''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/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 {{Warrior Prince}}ss 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 intends to deconstruct the idea of {{Xenafication}}, to show how toxic and traumatic it is sometimes to want to have every woman wield a sword like men.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' follows Emma Swan, a tough and cynical Bounty Hunter that finds her life turned on its head when the son she gave up for adoption shows up on her doorstep. He reveals to her that she is The Savior, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming destined to break the Evil Queen's curse and save the enchanted residents of Storybrooke. Though initially unwilling to believe, over time Emma comes to accept her destiny as a hero. Featuring numerous characters from classical fairy tales and legends, many are re-imagined as heroines in their own right as opposed to typical [[DamselInDistress Damsels]]. Snow White and Prince Charming are a BattleCouple, the Evil Queen is a complex and deeply flawed woman, Belle is a {{Guile Hero}}ine, and even those women that don't physically fight are shown to possess other kinds of strength -- great intelligence, supernatural might, or incredible emotional fortitude.

* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Several of the protagonists are women, with the Aes Sedai (who are all-female in the present) as a prominent powerful group. The series shows them as equal to (or greater than) men in its world. Though the Chosen One is male, he's helped greatly by the women on his side, and two of the candidates had been female as well.

* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'' follows an all female cast as they survive being stranded and uncover the mystery behind it. They are all complex women who are each given their own development and arc.

** UsefulNotes/AnneBoleyn used Henry's romantic letter to make a hit song, being picked up by a record company, and is currently a songwriter for [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakesy-P]].

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' went a long way towards correcting some of the franchise's past mistakes with female characters, but the ''Jack the Ripper'' DLC is much more explicitly feminist than the base game since it focuses solely on the game's female protagonist Evie Frye (who was somewhat sidelined in the main game) and her quest to [[DistressedDude rescue her brother]] and put an end to Jack. Perhaps the most strikingly empowering part of the DLC is the underlying story arc wherein Evie seeks to help rescue and liberate the prostitutes of London, who have been marginalized and ignored by the chauvinistic Victorian-era. One type of side activity literally involves Evie beating the shit out of a man assaulting a prostitute, capturing him, and parading him through the streets of London to be mocked before receiving a good verbal thrashing from [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Nellie]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodrayne}}'' follows {{Dhampyr}} Rayne, a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] working for the Brimstone Society. The first installment sees her battling Nazis during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, while the sequel deals with her personal quest to wipe out her vampire kin. Powerful and highly skilled in martial arts and weaponry, Rayne tears her way through armies and supernatural horrors bent on world domination while dishing out [[DeadpanSnarker snark]]. She shows great intelligent and ingenuity, often out-smarting her foes and coming out on top even when at a physical disadvantage. In the finale of the second game, [[spoiler: after slaying her father and finding herself abandoned by the Brimstone Society in a nightmare world, it's hinted she intends to take over her father's territory -- "Empress might not be a bad job title", indeed]].

* ''VideoGame/ChildOfLight'', a RolePlayingGame with platforming elements. It stars Aurora, the strong-willed daughter of an Austrian Duke that awakens in the mystical land of Lemuria. The kingdom has fallen into darkness, after the Queen of Night stole the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. To return home, Aurora and her companions must rescue the lights and restore peace to the kingdom. In addition, the main antagonist and her CoDragons are all female.

* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' and its [[VideoGame/DinoCrisis2 first sequel]] are both SurvivalHorror games made by Capcom, starring a strong female protagonist. Regina is a highly-skilled professional soldier, serving as part of a team sent in to extract a rogue scientist. She's intelligent, calm under pressure, and highly capable of taking on the various dinosaurs infesting the facility without any need for rescue. While her male peers primarily act as MissionControl or take on information gathering, Regina is responsible for much of the grunt work and dinosaur-slaughtering necessary to survive.

** Ironically, even though the Qun is the only nation in Thedas that prohibits women from fighting (at least in the military. The [[SecretPolice Ben-Hassrath]] have quite a few female agents), it is actually a matriarchy. Women are seen as naturally better at management, so they're in charge of government, the priesthood, the merchants, the crafts(wo)men, and the farmers. Men are soldiers and laborers, and can be a part of the priesthood. That's it. The Tamassrans, a female-exclusive branch of the priesthood, are the de facto rulers of Qunari society.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'''s main character may be Zidane, but the majority of the plot is driven by Princess Garnet. Rather than just being a PrincessClassic, she's a highly intelligent and determined young woman who (despite her initial naivety) manages to prove her own independence across the game. Supporting females include Freya - who is a powerful dragon knight out to rescue the man she loves, Beatrix - a fearsome [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] who commands the all-female military of Alexandria, and Eiko - a WiseBeyondHerYears six-year-old who is highly skilled and resourceful in the field.

* ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' features a cheerful, perky cheerleader that slays zombies with a chainsaw. A chainsaw that spews rainbows and sparkles, because [[RuleOfCool that's awesome]]. In order to save her boyfriend after he's bitten, she uses a spell to transform him into a living severed head and brings him along on her adventure to save the world from a zombie apocalypse. Creator/Suda51 and Creator/JamesGunn use AudienceSurrogate Nick to illustrate points about unequal relationships and objectification, in this case quite ''literal''.

* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' stars FairCop Aya Brea, an NYPD detective that discovers her [[CursedWithAwesome mutated genes]] have made her the only person capable of saving humanity. Her police training and growing powers make her a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]], battling her way through various mutated horrors in her quest to stop the titular [[BigBad Eve]] from destroying humanity. The sequels see her become an FBI agent, and once again the only woman capable of saving the human race.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' addresses issues concerning gender, with the majority of the party struggling in some capacity with the problems stereotypes and traditional expectations cause people. {{Tomboy}} Chie struggles with being viewed as "one of the guys", and feels jealousy towards her more traditionally feminine friend, Yukiko. Meanwhile, Yukiko feels trapped in her role as the heiress of an Inn, with her Shadow taking the form of a twisted PrincessClassic waiting for a Prince to rescue her. (Of course, she has to do it herself.) Tough Guy Kanji resents being treated as less of a man for [[RealMenWearPink liking cute things and enjoying knitting]], while KidDetective Naoto pretends to be a man in order to be taken seriously in a male-dominated field. Finally, IdolSinger Rise struggles to define herself beyond the many roles she has played in her career, and worries about who the "real" Rise is. Her [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind Dungeon]] takes on the form of a strip club, reflecting the darker side of fame for women.

* One of the things that makes ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' stand out from the pack that its only two characters are both female. [=GLaDOS=] is a deliciously snarky and manipulative character, and while Chell's HeroicMime status makes her a bit of a blank slate, she's clearly intelligent and {{determin|ator}}ed and isn't sexualized.

* ''VideoGame/ScienceGirls'' is about the science club of an all-female school that has to team up and use super-powers to fight off an alien invasion.

** The character arc of Prince Aurel is particularly heavy on feminist themes. He desires to become a nurse, despite people around him (including his mother and his best friend), telling him that it is a woman's job, and suggesting that he should focus on more manly interests such as embroidery or singing. He is told that all great nurses in history were women, which he finds absurd since [[CircularReasoning men are never actually given a chance to be nurses]]. Even after proving himself a competent nurse, one man refuses to let him attend to his daughter, for the sole reason that he is a man. Needless to say, this mirrors many of the obstacles faced in real life by women trying to get into male-dominated fields. In the French version, Aurel also insists on being called a "soignant", the masculine form of "nurse", despite [[InsistentTerminology other characters insisting]] that it is "soignante", the feminine form. This actually mirrors a real debate among French-speakers, as several professions such as doctor ("docteur"), professor ("professeur"), chief ("chef"), or author ("auteur") lack a feminine form. The official rule is that the name should remain masculine even when applied to a woman, while feminists have been fighting to introduce feminine forms for years ("docteure/doctoresse", "professeure/professeuse", "cheffe", "auteure/autrice"). Aurel being told that "it sounds wrong" is also a common real-life argument made agaisnt those new words.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' is pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a comic about those with super powers, and the majority of the prominent characters are women.
* ''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 boyfriend [[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.]]
* ''Webcomic/MagickChicks'' is an ongoing UrbanFantasy which is set at an OneGenderSchool for [[DemonSlaying monster hunters in training]].

** The academy's [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil student council]] consists of the 7 most powerful students at the school, which includes: Callista, the captain of the school's Archery Club, who's ImprobableAimingSkills have earned her the nickname [[RedBaron "Deadeye Archer"]]. Tandy is captain of the [[{{ninja}} Ninja Club]], and [[StudentCouncilPresident their president]], Faith Abbot, is [[SuperpowerLottery the most powerful]] [[PsychicPowers esper]] in its history.

* ''[[http://www.priyashakti.com/ Priya's Shakti]]'' is an independent comic produced in an effort to address sexual assault and Rape Culture in India. The story follows Priya, a young woman that is cast out of her home and community after being assaulted. The Goddess [[Myth/HinduMythology Parvati]] incarnates into the young woman in answer to her prayers but finds that humanity continues to shun and abuse Priya. This enrages Shiva, who curses mankind until his wife intervenes to save them. Blessed with the Goddess' power, Priya journeys to fight for dignity and compassion, bringing hope to the world once more. The series includes special codes that unlock "Augmented Reality" content, featuring the stories of real survivors.

* ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' is spearheaded by Creator/LaurenFaust, a name you'll see much of as this section continues. As the title suggests, it follows six heroines from DC Comics [[HighSchoolAU reimagined as high school students]]. They have wildly different personalities but have a common drive to serve their city and consistently support each other, a reflection of Faust's "there's no 'wrong' way to be a girl" philosophy. Apart from MonsterOfTheWeek situations, the majority of the villains are also female, and nearly every episode passes UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest. Consider the show's TitleDrop moment: after the heroines have saved the city, a group of preteen girls cheer, amazed to see a group of super hero girls.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': The story focus on a RebelliousPrincess ActionGirl Bean, who defies the roles of medieval society to upper-class women while [[ComingOfAgeStory finding herself]]. Bean is also a main female character who is notably less sexualized than usual, being fairly average looking, lacking any curvy silhouette, and preferring an efficient, simple and practical tunic/pants/boots outfit (Although she does show some attractive curves in the dresses she wears on special occasions).

* ''WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators'' has a gender-equal team of two girls and two boys in the titular group of paranormal investigators, with one of the girls (Daemona) serving as the team leader (with Kira, the other girl, serving as TheLancer). The fact that the leader of the team is a girl is never made a big deal in the series, and both girls are shown to be very smart and resourceful.
* ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The entire series is based around cute, five-year-old little girls being badass and their femininity, or lack of it, is not shown as a [[RealWomenDontWearDresses bad thing]]. The series encountered controversy over an episode featuring a StrawFeminist villain named Femme Fatale. She stole only Susan B. Anthony coins and convinced the girls that men were their enemies -- leading the girls to let her go and begin acting hostile towards the guys in their life. Ms. Bellum, Mrs. Keane, and a female police officer pulled the girls aside, teaching them about equality and helping expose Femme Fatale as a hypocrite who injured female officers during her crimes and didn't know anything about Susan B. Anthony's role in history. Some felt the episode mocked feminism, while others praised the focus on equality and learning about historical figures. [[WordOfGod Lauren Faust herself mentions she feels the topic wasn't handled well in the episode]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' paved the way for many of the above shows, being a spin-off of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' created to appeal to a female audience. The titular heroine is the long-lost sister of He-Man and gains a magical sword that grants her the same superhuman powers he possesses. She is every bit her brother's physical equal that uses brains ''and'' brawn to save the day. The cast is [[WorldOfActionGirls primarily female]], with many involved in the [[LaResistance Great Rebellion]] battling to free Etheria from the tyrant, Hordak. Unlike its sibling series, the Rebellion is at a constant disadvantage and must overcome through a combination of martial strength, intelligence, and inspiring the oppressed citizens to stand up for themselves. Like many MagicalGirl series, typical elements of femininity are celebrated as sources of strength and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength are all treated as equally important traits. The generation that grew up with She-Ra went on to be the audience of other major series, such as [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is a ground-breaking series for its LGBT representation, predominantly feminine cast, and complete dismantling of traditional gender roles. The series presents a young male hero that is following his late mother's legacy and defined by his emotional depth and desire to resolve conflicts through open communication and empathy instead of violence. The Crystal Gems are a group of feminine-presenting aliens with diverse body types and unique personalities, all working together to defend Steven as his caretakers and protect the earth from invasion. There is a prominent lesbian couple, who share an on-screen kiss and further broke ground by getting their own wedding episode. As the bond between Steven and Connie develops, she becomes a skilled ActionGirl that wields his mother's sword while Steven uses her shield as a BarrierWarrior. The series encourages children to be themselves, breaking down stereotypical roles and toxic ideas about masculinity '''and''' femininity. It teaches girls to be confident and love themselves while presenting them with an incredibly diverse range of women to look up to. It also actively teaches young boys that kindness, empathy, emotional vulnerability, and "feminine" behaviors or looks are not shameful or weak. The series presents a boy that has worn makeup and dresses, who cries openly, tries to befriend his enemies, and looks to women as protectors as an inspirational figure.
* ''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 ''Literature/DirtyPair'', another series about female spies.

* ''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.

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

* ''Literature/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.

** ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is probably the most feminist anime in existence. It explores the classical fairytale motifs of the Heroic Prince that rescues a princess, the contrast of the innocent Princess and the mature Witch, and turns them completely on its head, while also dealing with childhood and growing up, often in very dark and mature fashion. The heroine, Utena, dreams of becoming a Prince just like the one that once saved her as a child and battles to protect the mysterious Rose Bride, Anthy, from the male-dominated Ohtori Academy and the many men who seek to [[StandardHeroReward win her as a prize]], [[DomesticAbuse abuse her]], and do other unpleasant things to her. As it turns out, [[spoiler:Anthy is the Witch of the story, despite being a kind and gentle soul who grows closer to Utena, shattering the WickedWitch archetype- meanwhile, Akio Ohtori/Dios, supposedly the RatedMForManly WisePrince, is the BigBad End of the World who's adherence to “male virtues” turns him into an abusive monster in a dark example of TestosteronePoisoning]]. It is surreal, and rarely is anything (or anyone) exactly what they seem.