History Main / PregnantBadass

* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: Mrs. Hawking remarks that she continued her crimefighting while pregnant, only giving it up when she was "too damned fat" to maneuver anymore. In a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope that crosses over with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome, she fears that doing such strenuous work while carrying a child [[spoiler:might be, and indeed very likely ''is'', the reason for her stillbirth-- it could have been a bad fall, a blow from an opponent, or even just the stress she put her body through.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'' has a canine example: In ''Madeline's Rescue'', Genevieve the dog is driven out of the city and abandoned in the countryside by Lord Cucuface's orders, but she [[TropeyComeHome makes her way back home to Miss Clavel and the girls]] all by herself, and that very night she gives birth to a litter of puppies. Depending on how long Miss Clavel and the girls had her beforehand, which isn't specified, she might have already been pregnant when she [[HeroicDog saved Madeline from drowning]] too. [note] In the original book, though, they have her for six months before her puppies are born, so she must have gotten pregnant after they adopted her. Which raises the question of who the father dog was and how they met.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'': In ''Madeline's Rescue'', Genevieve the dog is driven out of the city and abandoned in the countryside by Lord Cucuface's orders, but she [[TropeyComeHome makes her way back home to Miss Clavel and the girls]] all by herself, and that very night she gives birth to a litter of puppies.

* Played with in the ''Series/StudioC'' sketch, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRr1SGCfoxk "Lady Shadow,"]] where the titular character is trying to be her awesome spy self, but is having a bit of trouble...

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf - Animation/MoonCastleTheSpaceAdventure'': Despite being pregnant for most of the movie, Wolnie teaches the others how to use [[FryingPanOfDoom frying pans]] with no problem and is still able to hold her own in combat during the fight with the Bitter Gourd King and his minions.

Sometimes allies or others close to the mother object to this, even when they otherwise respect her ActionGirl prowess and do not think WomenAreDelicate: they worry she is at a disadvantage, or that extreme stress could endanger her or the baby. Sometimes the mother ''agrees'', which makes the character even more formidable -- she only fights when [[MartialPacifist no other option]] is left, with the raw fury of a CorneredRattlesnake.

In milder danger, a pregnant character proves herself a BadassBystander or competent ActionSurvivor. In extreme circumstances, this badass runs into a major battle nine months pregnant, [[MaternityCrisis goes into labor]] while fighting, harnesses the pain of a ScreamingBirth to become a ScreamingWarrior, retires just long enough to deliver the baby, then picks up a weapon with one hand and returns to the fray ''while [[BadassAndBaby cradling the newborn]]'' in the other. In situations where magic is involved, the unborn child can PowerUp its mother in some way, lending support in what is usually a terrible strain on their mind or soul.

--> ''Lara:''' Was my grammar incorrect? The spelling? Maybe you didn't like my descriptions. Too many adverbs? Or perhaps I should have taken more creative license in describing Zod. But you did want this to be a ''history'' instead of a fantasy, right? Or did I misunderstand you? I particularly like my account of the annihilation of Borga City. Quite vivid prose. I wanted to add interviews with all those dissidents who cheerfully changed their minds and conveniently retired, but I couldn't find any of them. Not a one! [[SarcasmMode Do you suppose something terrible happened to them?' Maybe we should tell the General. He'll get to the bottom of it.]]
--> ''Aethyr:''' Silence! I won't hear you speak of him that way.

* It was revealed during ''Manga/ShamanKing'', that before Yoh and the gang left for America, he and [[SlapSlapKiss his]] [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther fiancée]], [[{{Tsundere}} Anna]], [[TheirFirstTime they... well... you know]]. Six years later in the epilogue we see their son Hana... which means yes, in those few months of the last chapters, Anna would have been in those early stages of pregnancy.... and she ''still'' kicked all kinds of butt as usual.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal}}'': Fang was pregnant from her late boyfriend Red and she was still able to help Spear save Mira and other slaves from the vikings, then she laid her eggs but she was still protective of them, even refusing to help Spear fight the remaining vikings.

* ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild'', as its name implies, adapts the events and content of the game ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and this includes Urbosa of the Champions. Unlike the game, she explicitly has a biological daughter. However, her daughter wasn't yet born when Urbosa was recruited as Champion. She was pregnant with her daughter during the re-creation of "Champion Urbosa's Song" in which she wipes the floor with two Yiga Clan members. She's still pregnant during the coronation of the Champions, meaning she gained mastery of Naboris while she was still pregnant.

* ''[[WebAnimation/ExtraCredits Extra History]]'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SITsfX15jw0 "Viking Expansion: Wine Land"]] relates the story of a heavily pregnant Viking woman named Freydis, who almost singlehandedly defends her settlement from a Native American raiding party. She kills several attackers, and her bravado and terrifies the survivors into a retreat.

Sometimes allies or others close to the mother object to this, even when they otherwise respect her ActionGirl prowess and do not think WomenAreDelicate: they worry she is at a disadvantage, or that extreme stress could endanger her or the baby. Sometimes the mother ''agrees'', which makes the character even more formidable -- she only fights when [[MartialPacifist no other option]] is left, with the raw fury of a DesperationAttack.

* In the ''[[WebAnimation/ExtraCredits Extra History]]'' video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SITsfX15jw0 "Viking Expansion: Wine Land"]], a heavily pregnant Viking woman named Freydis almost singlehandedly defends her settlement from a Native American raiding party, killing several of the attackers and terrifying the survivors into a retreat.

** The titular heroine is a gloriously {{Exaggerated}} exemplar. Yuki is eager to start a family with her husband Kenji, a student at a prestigious NinjaSchool. Her hopes are dashed when Kenji and the other students are captured and magically-imprisoned by the wizard Gorou. Daichi, a sorcerer who escaped capture, discovers a [[LoopholeAbuse Loophole]]: Yuki can defy Gorou's magic as long as she is pregnant with Kenji's child. But training to defeat Gorou's minions in combat will take years, and the loophole closes when she gives birth. Yuki, willing to endure anything to save her beloved, convinces Daichi to cast a spell that will keep her pregnant while she fights the evil wizard. Her pregnancy is effectively a magical PowerUp and, thanks to her finesse, Yuki's large belly barely gets in the way of her {{Ninja}} moves.

* [[spoiler:Videl]] is a downplayed example in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. Although she doesn't do any fighting, she does talk down an angry [[TheDreaded god of destruction]], then [[spoiler:becomes the first and only known full-blooded human to turn Super-Saiyan]] by channeling her unborn daughter's power.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Big Mom was already abnormaly strong when she was 5 years old. She gave birth to 85 children in 42 years, starting from being 18 years old to being 60 years old. And now she's 68, which means she spent most of her life time being pregnant and became one of the most powerful pirates while getting pregnant year after year.
* Takeo Goda's mother in ''Manga/MyLoveStory'' is a physical powerhouse at all times, and was able to carry another woman to the hospital while in the middle of labor with him. When she has her second child later in the series, she repeats the feat.
* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'': When Funny Valentine and his lackeys realize that Lucy Steel has become [[ItMakesSenseInContext pregnant with the Head of the Holy Corpse]] through virginal conception, they attempt to keep her prisoner until it can be 'born'. Unfortunately they forgot that Corpse Parts [[TookALevelInBadass grant Stands to anyone they choose as hosts]], and Lucy uses her new Stand Ticket to Ride (which allows her to turn her tears into blades that create a nexus of intensifying bad luck wherever they touch human flesh) to kill Valentine's [[TheDragon two main henchmen]] and finally manage to save herself without help from any other Stand user. [[spoiler:Well, almost. Valentine recaptures her near the dock, and his mere presence causes the Saint's Corpse to start consuming her energy to reforge itself.]]

* ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild'', as its name implies, adapts the events and content of the game ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and this includes Urbosa of the Champions. Unlike the game, she explicitly has a biological daughter. However, her daughter wasn't yet born when Urbosa was recruited as Champion. She was pregnant with her daughter during the re-creation of "Champion Urbosa's Song" in which she wipes the floor with two Yiga Clan members. She's still pregnant during the coronation of the Champions, meaning she gained mastery of Naboris while she was still pregnant.

* In the ComicBook/{{Superman}} fan fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13130117/1/Superman-Starts-Family Superman Starts family]]'', Superman is [[AdaptationalGenderIdentity a trans man]] who [[MisterSeahorse gets pregnant]] after [[ChildByRape being sexually assaulted by Lex Luthor]]. [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13130117/3/Superman-Starts-Family Superman looks through the rubble of a destroyed building for survivors and then battles Darkseid while twenty-seven weeks pregnant]]. What makes Superman extra ferocious when fighting Darkseid is that Darkseid had children as hostages.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' fanfic ''Lovely Dream'', Reimu is forced to carry a child due to the importance of her bloodline. When Remilia finds out she doesn't take it lightly cause she knows what it will entale as well as causing her more inmature side to surface. In her fury she decides to attack Reimu along with the entire Scarlet Devil crew. What follows is perhaps the most [[CurbStompBattle one sided buttkicking]] Reimu has ever delivered.

* [[http://n7gvlvr.deviantart.com/art/Growing-Pains-354327086?q=gallery%3An7gvlvr%2F42510867&qo=4 This]] [[PortmanteauCoupleName Shakarian]] [[Franchise/MassEffect short fic]] features a pregnant Fem!Shep ''demolishing'' a team of turian terrorists. Garrus later chastises her for threatening their unborn son in the process.

* In [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse the third season]] of Telltale Games' [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]] series, Sybil Pandemik is [[LongestPregnancyEver fifteen months pregnant]] when she volunteers to go inside the giant EldritchAbomination currently rampaging through the city and fill in the team roles of [[NewJobAsThePlotDemands psychologist, brain surgeon, veterinarian, scuba diver and dark wizard]].

* In ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead The Walking Dead: The Game]]'', Christa is predicted to be around 2–5 months pregnant, and she is amazingly skilled when it comes to zombie fighting (and possibly jumping on trains, depending on who you help onto Chuck's train). [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo Season two]] confirms her pregnancy, showing her with a more visible bump, and proves that she hasn't lost any edge when she [[spoiler:kills the girl who shot Omid in a moment of panic when he walked in on her trying to rob Clementine]]. Sadly, after the time skip, she's shown without her baby, leaving the players to only theorise on what exactly has happened.

* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': [[spoiler:Mel and Dina don't let pregnancy slow them down. On one hand there's a certain brutal pragmatism to pregnant women fighting - it's the ZombieApocalypse and everyone is a target, so everyone fights. On the other hand especially in Mel's case [[{{Narm}} this almost stretches incredulity]], as she volunteers to fight as a frontline soldier even though she clearly has a huge baby bulge ''and'' is a trained doctor (i.e a very valuable individual in what passes for post-apocalyptic society) and her friends all urge to stay in safety. This costs Mel her life when Ellie is forced to stab her to death in self-defence, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone and Ellie nearly has a sanity-shattering breakdown then and there]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/DarkDevotion'', the Mysterious Entity is a visibly pregnant giant of a woman. She is also the last boss of the Den of Corrupted Nature, and her pregnancy does not detract from her ability to kick your ass.

* ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'': While it's never explicitly said that the yoga teacher is pregnant, she's visibly carrying a large belly and sometimes comments on having cravings for things like hamburgers. Despite this, she joins the Vice President's party in their quest.
* ''VideoGame/Suikoden2'' Lucia acts as a general in a war at one point sneaking into enemy territory to kill their comander. We find out later she became pregnat at some point.

* ''WebComic/DragonBallMultiverse'': When Vegetto displays a lack of sensitivity over Bulma being tired after giving birth, he explains [[http://www.dragonball-multiverse.com/en/page-293.html#h_read that Saiyan women were not as affected by the strain as human ones]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': [[spoiler:Hera Syndulla]] is revealed in the DistantFinale to have been pregnant [[spoiler:with [[SomeonetoRememberHimBy the son of Kanan Jarrus]] for the second half of season 4 (and likely a bit before then). During this time she led an aerial attack on an Imperial factory, survived an X-wing crash, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a trained assassin, was captured and tortured, lost the love of her life, and participated in the liberation of Lothal. Depending on the timeline, it is also highly likely she was heavily pregnant (or had at least recently given birth) during the [[Film/RogueOne Battle of Scarif]].]] Hardcore, indeed.

* Queen Mera in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' has no trouble joining her people to defend her home by using her magic to fight off the invaders attacking her home.
* Sypha Belnades in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' Netflix series committed feats of combat and [[BlackMagicianGirl magic]] against nightcreatures and super vampires while a little over one-month pregnant.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal}}'': Fang was pregnant from her late boyfriend Red and she was still able to help Spear save Mira and other slaves from the vikings, then she laid her eggs but she was still protective of them, even refusing to help Spear fight the remaining vikings.

* ComicBook/{{Galactus}}'s daughter Galacta currently qualifies, technically, although she isn't pregnant in the same way humans are. (It's similar, however.) When her hunger for life energy was increasing to the point that the temptation to consume the Earth became harder than ever to resist, she thought some evil parasite had infected her, and tried to steal the Ultimate Nullifier from her father's ship in an effort to purge it from her (even though the risk of destroying herself in the process was great). When he stopped her from doing so, she found out that the "parasite" was actually a child she had conceived in [[TrulySingleParent the same method that he had conceived her.]] (She was, in effect, pregnant; the reason for her incredible hunger was simply, she had to eat for two.)

* According to Vietnamese legends, [[https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Phung_Thi_Chinh this woman]] can fight off against Han invaders while pregnant at the time when the Trung sisters ruled Vietnam during ancient China's attempt to conquer it which they did but barely. Unfortunately, she committed suicide along with her newborn child when she learned about the Trung sisters' death. How tragic and badass.

In fiction, pregnancy will more likely tend toward dramatic extremes. Either it is a debilitating condition that takes former {{Action Girl}}s out of commission for the duration -- rendering them physically and emotionally fragile or even bedridden -- or exactly the opposite. Whether it's due to [[PregnancyMakesYouCrazy surging hormones]] or newfound parental instincts, pregnancy can cause someone to [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] -- sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently in preparation for becoming a MamaBear or ActionMom, or in the case of [[MisterSeahorse man]], PapaWolf or ActionDad.

In fiction, pregnancy will more likely tend toward dramatic extremes. Either it is a debilitating condition that takes former {{Action Girl}}s out of commission for the duration -- rendering them physically and emotionally fragile or even bedridden -- or exactly the opposite. Whether it's due to [[PregnancyMakesYouCrazy surging hormones]] or newfound parental instincts, pregnancy can cause someone to [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] -- sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently in preparation for becoming a MamaBear or ActionMom, or in the case of [[MisterSeahorse a trans man]], PapaWolf or ActionDad.

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Pregnancy doesn't affect creatures in any way, so you commonly have pregnant dwarves beating goblins to death with warhammers, sometimes giving birth in the process, sometimes using the newborn infant as a shield... Foals and puppies, if born during combat, may actually join in, as a memorable scene of ''LetsPlay/{{Boatmurdered}}'' demonstrated:

--->'''Margaret:''' Sure my waist is bigger, but that just means more bullets in my ammo belt.

* Mina from ''Film/SheShootsStraight'', a policewoman who discovers she's pregnant... days after her husband's death. She then goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge wbile carrying her baby, killing the entire gang of gunrunners responsible for killing her husband. TheDragon of the gunrunners (an AmazonianBeauty herself) took advantage of Mina's weakness in the final fight by kicking her ''stomach'', but Mina still wins by way of BreastAttack.

* The possibility of dying along with her baby on the island takes ''Series/{{Lost}}'''s Sun from TheStoic to this trope in Season 4. Reaches its apex when a very pregnant Sun informs her {{Jerkass}} father that [[TookALevelInBadass she's bought out his corporation]] and now, ''he'' works for ''her.''

* Creator/JackieChan's pregnant stepmother in ''Film/LegendOfTheDrunkenMaster'' ''wants'' to fight, but nobody will let her, though it's shown she has the ability to kick just about anybody's ass. Subverted in that [[spoiler:she's not really pregnant and was just faking it so her husband wouldn't punish Jackie too harshly for being out of bounds and getting smashed to fully exploit the power of the Drunken Fist style while in the middle of a street brawl. Then it turns out she ''is'' pregnant]].