Line #193 Main/HeroicSeductress


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4	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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8	[[quoteright:300:[[Literature/DominoLady https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dsex_as_a_weapon.png]]]]
9	[[caption-width-right:300:Do-Me-Now Lady was by everyone's standards a little too much on the nose.]]
10	->''"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."''
11	-->-- '''Jessica Rabbit''', ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''
12
13	[[SexIsEvil Sex often has a bad reputation in fiction]]. Often, the only characters allowed [[MadonnaWhoreComplex to have any sort of sex appeal are not the ones for whom we're meant to root]]. Character types like TheVamp and the FemmeFatale run amok, doing their evil work, ruining lives, and [[LadyMacbeth corrupting men into doing nasty things]]. A gorgeous [[SuccubiAndIncubi Succubus]] uses her appeal to lure men to their doom.
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15	But not every sexy girl in fiction is evil. Some of them are downright heroic; and not despite their sexiness, but ''because'' of it. They're the ones who use sex as a tool or means to achieve a goal, the same way the vamp or femme fatale might, the difference being that their goals are good.
16
17	Here are a few ways the trope can manifest:
18	* Sex as a bargaining chip: A night in bed with the heroine to get what she needs to complete her quest or supplies for the town she's trying to save, etc.
19	* [[ShowSomeLeg Sex as a distraction]]: Taking advantage of [[DistractedByTheSexy male distractability]] and [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey potential for sex-based manipulation]] to allow the heroine's allies/teammates to complete a task without interruption or discovery.
20	* Sex as espionage: [[HoneyTrap Getting into bed with people]] who have high security clearance levels, or even the EvilOverlord himself, then [[{{Blackmail}} using that liaison to get information]] or just [[OutWithABang remove the threat entirely]].
21	* Sex as encouragement: The heroine beds a man as a way to get him into a [[SexIsGood heroic state of mind]]. Bonus points if she also [[SexFaceTurn brings him over to the good guys' side]].
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23	Compare GoodBadGirl.
24
25	Contrast with TheVamp, who uses sex to corrupt. Also contrast with FemmeFatale, who uses sex to manipulate for purely selfish, often villainous ends. Contrast the MadonnaWhoreComplex, which states that sexually active women cannot be considered "good" in any way.
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27	Frequently crosses with HookerWithAHeartOfGold, EthicalSlut, and HighClassCallGirl. Sometimes even MyGirlIsASlut. Every example of female-initiated SexFaceTurn featured someone in this role.
28	----
29	!!Examples:
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31	[[foldercontrol]]
32
33	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
34	* Shiki Aizawa of ''Manga/AizawaSanMultiplies'' is [[LiteralSplitPersonality the manifestation of the title character's sex drive]]. She constantly pushes her original forward to be more aggressive in her relationship with their crush. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by another one of the duplicates - as the duplicates get all of the experiences of the original when they merge, Shiki gets all the joy of the relationship when she links back up with the original.
35	* Erza from ''Manga/FairyTail'' loves being sexy. She [[FanserviceWithASmile flirted with two customers at a restaurant while in an outfit showing her cleavage]], and she even purchased an armor used for seduction. In Chapter 441, she and Lucy used their seductive charms to bypass guards, and in the Key to the Starry Skies arc, she planned on seducing a group of bandits to distract them. Also she literally has an armor called the Seduction Armor.
36	** Lucy tries to be this but fails a lot of the time, and for reasons that aren't her own fault.
37	* In the fifth episode of the second season of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', Farangis seduces Pelagius to lure him into compliancy before bringing him in towards Arslan.
38	* Shizuru from ''Anime/MyOtome'' seduces Tomoe after she's captured, allowing herself to be employed as a SexSlave, and then [[spoiler: bonks her on the head and leaves when it's time to rejoin the fight for Windbloom. She later gives Tomoe a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech when Tomoe asks WasItAllALie, revealing that she had no feelings for Tomoe whatsoever, and that maybe Tomoe will learn something about considering other people's feelings. Tomoe [[PsychoLesbian does not take it well]].]]
39	* Nancy Lee from ''Literature/NinjaSlayer'' is an IntrepidReporter who happens to be a [[MsFanservice sexy]], [[EveryoneLovesBlondes blonde bombshell]] who's not afraid to ShowSomeLeg from time to time to distract bad guys and help the main protagonist. In one instance, she dresses up as a prostitute in order to gain access inside a Syndicate facility. On the downside, [[SoBeautifulItsACurse her gorgeous looks tend to work as much against her as for her]], making her a LustObject of some vile, sleazy scumbags who all have some... [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty unwholesome thoughts]] in mind for her.
40	* Dorothy in ''Anime/PrincessPrincipal'' is a spy and a BadassDriver, but whenever she needs to get a man to drop his guard, distracting him with her voluptuous figure and seductive manner is her go-to move.
41	* ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'': Holy Knight of Liones Lady Deldry of the Order Plieodes of the Azure Sky has a magical power fittingly called "Love Drive" which she can use to seduce people into becoming hopelessly in love with and devoted to her. She has used this power to detain a demonically possessed Dreyfus for the purpose of exorcising the demon.
42	* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Blair is a magical cat who likes to take the form of a voluptuous woman. While not really a hero -- she's the main characters' roommate and enjoys teasing Soul, she does help out [[ItMakesSenseInContext when the son of Death gets trapped in a book.]] When they enter the book, it temporarily [[GenderBender flips everyone's gender]] and a succubus tried to distract our heroes. Cue Blair turning into MrFanservice and blasting it.
43	* In ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'', when Allen Schezar is locked up by his king, Princess Millerna comes down to the dungeons, seemingly trips and [[ShowSomeLeg Shows Some Leg]] to the guard, asking him to check her foot. The blushing guard bends down to investigate and gets a TapOnTheHead from Allen's lieutenant Gaddess.
44	* In the Duelist Kingdom Arc of ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Mai helps the non-competitors in the group get into the castle by distracting the guard by flirting with him (and then knocking him out when he tries to stop them).
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Comic Books]]
48	* ComicBook/BlackWidow started off as a villain, but did a HeelFaceTurn and started working for SHIELD. She still uses sex to get information out of SHIELD's enemies. It is part of her "specific skillset" after all.
49	* Both Abbey Chase and Sydney Savage of ''ComicBook/DangerGirl'' have used this:
50	** In the first miniseries, Abby gained access to the Peach's room by pretending to be a "party favor" for him. When he arrived in the room, she stripped and jumped into the tub, convincing him she was there to have sex with him all the while mentally retching from how repulsive he was.
51	** In issue 3 of Revolver, Abbey seduces and then coerces Donavin Conrad into helping them get into a villain gathering.
52	** Abbey tries to pull this act on a Cobra guard in the crossover with G.I. Joe. When it doesn't work, she settles for punching him out.
53	** In Issue #6 of the first miniseries, Sydney tricks a guard into unzipping her catsuit for her by claiming she needs to use the bathroom. While he's distracted ogling her cleavage, she takes the opportunity to knock him out and free herself and Johnny.
54	* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Gaea, the EarthMother, is characterized as a goddess who solves problems by having babies. ''Lots'' of babies. For instance, when many of her fellow Elder Gods turned evil, she solved the problem by mating with the primordial entity called the Demiurge and gave birth to the Demogorge (aka, the God Eater). Later, when a certain TopGod expressed the need for a son powerful enough to defend the Earth from danger, she offered to give him a son capable of just that. That son became ComicBook/TheMightyThor.
55	* ComicBook/SteveTrevor regularly plays at being interested in foes, often Nazi spies like Dolly Dancer, in order to carry out his job as an intelligence officer and has done so since his [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 earliest appearances]]. In ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' he pretends to be enthralled by the beauty of a woman claiming to be the descendant of Helen of Troy who has taken multiple US military men prisoner to distract her while ComicBook/WonderWoman rescues the prisoners. While his ploy works at first and "Helen" is taken in by his flirting he gives up the game when he panics thinking Wonder Woman has been injured.
56	* Marvel Comics also has Venus, who is a [[GorgeousGreek Greek nymph]] that started out as an evil temptress, but was [[CursedWithAwesome cursed]] by a wizard to have a soul as "beautiful" as her appearance. Now, she uses her beauty and {{Glamour}} powers to help people.
57	* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Starfire's issue in the ''Tales of the New Teen Titans'' miniseries has her escaping slavery at the hands of the Gordanians by seducing a Gordanian guard and killing him. Her guest appearance in ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' has her trying to "persuade" the Gotham police to let the Titans help with a case.
58	* Also from Marvel, the ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' had a member called Enchantress during the ''Young Masters'' arc, who named and modelled herself off of Thor's nemesis, Amora the Enchantress, and was unknowingly created by/empowered by Loki, but tried to use this for good. The "Heroic" part only lasted until a misunderstanding led to a MistreatmentInducedBetrayal at which point she joined her fellow "New Young Avengers" in forming the Young Masters of Evil. Though she remained a TokenGoodTeammate in the original arc, she subsequently reappeared as a firm villain.
59	* ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'':
60	** Vampirella has occasionally used her sex appeal against villains. One such example is the 2006 Halloween Special in which she takes advantage of her looks to lull a murderer into a false sense of security before killing as punishment for murdering his wife. She even teasingly flaunts her body at him as she leaves him bleeding to death.
61	** Pantha, Vampirella's ally, also counts. A Mark Millar-penned story in 1997 has her posing as a dominatrix or prostitute to kill the evil scientists who subjected her to all manner of vile experiments. She also posed an as erotic dancer to get the Scarab of Atum-Ra from the Nazi scientist Midwinter.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Fan Works]]
65	* ''FanFic/{{Bird}}'': Ingénue's role in [[Literature/{{Worm}} canon]] was ambiguous, but as a gang leader in Brockton Bay she plays this role. This leaves her as either a very atypical villain or a hero with a checkered past and phenomenally bad PR.
66	* ''FanFic/ABrighterDark'': Corrin is not shy about her sexual prowess, though she only ever actually weaponizes it once when she had exhausted all other options.
67	** Kagero, being a well-trained espionage agent, is a more straight example; we get to see her in action when she disguises herself as a prostitute during her information gathering in Mokushu.
68	* Smurfette plays a G-rated version of this trope in the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story "The Once And Smurfy King", which adapts the original Smurfs comic book story "King Smurf". She uses her charms to keep Lord Smurf the First distracted while learning about his plans and secretly conveying them to the rebel Smurfs.
69	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Spectra finds herself seducing people far more often than the other protagonists, due to her charisma-focused build and her missions often involving infiltration, impersonation, or social situations that don't call for a combat-focused approach. (Her being a changeling prostitute certainly doesn't hurt either.)
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
73	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Jasmine had her moment by keeping Jafar distracted long enough for Al to get the lamp back. It backfired since Al was (rightly) too squicked out upon seeing her kiss Jafar to keep moving toward the lamp, losing a few crucial seconds.
74	* Songstress Angel attempts to seduce Mok in ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'' so that Mok will abandon his EvilPlan to summon a demon during a rock concert. Unfortunately, Mok is AxCrazy, and laughs off the attempt, ordering his minions to "take her away".
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
78	* The ''Film/AustinPowers'' movies gave us a couple of examples:
79	** Austin is a distaff example. He sleeps with Alotta Fagina to get info on Dr. Evil's plan and later uses his "mojo" to defeat the fem-bots.
80	** [[Film/AustinPowersTheSpyWhoShaggedMe The sequel]] has CIA agent Felicity Shagwell seduce the villain Fat Bastard in order to implant a TrackingDevice in his buttocks. She later flashes her breasts to a guard to cause him to fall into a death trap and allow Felicity and Austin to escape.
81	* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': She displays this trope in a number of ways.
82	** After sleeping with the angel, Pygar, he regains his self-confidence and will to fly.
83	** At the [[{{Pun}} climax]] of the film, she ''[[TooKinkyToTorture breaks a torture device designed to kill with orgasms!]]''
84	* ''{{Film/Charlies Angels\|2000}}'' and ''Film/CharliesAngelsFullThrottle'': The Angels have no problem using their sex appeal to extract information and items or lull targets into a false sense of security. Examples include Dylan using her NavelDeepNeckline to distract a driver while the Angels place a tracking device on his car in the first movie and posing as strippers to swipe a dock worker's key card in the second movie.
85	%%* ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'': Mademoiselle Rimbaud.
86	* ''Film/{{Mermaids\|2003}}'' gives one sister Venus the powers of a siren who can use seduction to hypnotise anyone. This includes getting her sister out of jail and making the guards forget anything ever happened.
87	* ''Film/RearWindow'': Lisa Fremont acts like a classic FemmeFatale seductress (she is Creator/GraceKelly in a nightgown after all). At first, the movie seems to be setting her up as MsFanservice or someone who will cause the male lead (Creator/JamesStewart) to be DistractedByTheSexy. But as the film progresses, she is fleshed out as a seemingly good-hearted, intelligent, and helpful character who assists the wheelchair-bound male character in his investigation about the suspicious behavior of his neighbor.
88	* Roxanne of ''Film/RedRidingHood'' implies she'll be willing to sleep with the werewolf hunter to release her brother from the torture device he's locked in (though she's turned down before she can get further than trying to unstrap her dress). She's presented as TheWoobie the entire time.
89	* ''Film/SuckerPunch'':
90	** Baby Doll distracts people with seductive dances (though the audience never gets to see anything) to help gather items she needs to escape.
91	** Amber uses seduction as a distraction so that she can steal something from the man she's pleasuring that'll help her friends.
92	* ''Film/WitchfinderGeneral'' has a downplayed example. Sara is desperate to save her uncle from being tortured over a witchcraft accusation - so she offers to sleep with Hopkins if he'll spare him. Notable because this is her idea and she is not judged by other characters for doing this.
93	* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': Steve's scheme to get information from Dr. Maru involves at least an element of this since he starts a conversation implying that he's turned on by her homicidal genius. We never find out how far he was willing to go with it since Diana interrupts.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Literature]]
97	* In ''Literature/TheAliceNetwork'', the FemmeFataleSpy Eve sleeps with her [[spoiler:employer, Rene]] for [[spoiler:information and to avoid being fired]], allowing her to keep fighting the Germans. Her decision to sleep with him is portrayed positively, despite her feelings of guilt and disgust.
98	* Scheherazade in ''Literature/ArabianNights'' allowed herself to be married and have sex with a mad sultan for the purposes of saving her people (as well as any potential future brides of his). Of course, this is overshadowed by another type of seduction she employed, that of telling really captivating stories.
99	* In Creator/GuyDeMaupassant's short story, "Bed 29", Irma fell in love with a Captain who later went to fight in the Prussian War. When he came back, he realized that Irma had [[spoiler: caught syphilis after she was raped by the Prussians]]. [[spoiler: On her deathbed,]] Irma asked Captain Epivent to visit her once more, only to realize that he despised her for [[spoiler: ruining his reputation, especially since she was now known as "the wife of the Prussians."]] Hurt by his accusations, Irma explains that the reason for her actions was to [[spoiler: poison the Prussians. She then proceeded to laugh, exclaiming that she had killed more men than the Captain and his troops combined. She died the following day.]]
100	** Maupassant also uses the trope in "Boule de Suif," in which the title character,[[note]]It's a nickname that means something like "Dumpling" or "Butterball"[[/note]] a HookerWithAHeartOfGold, is pressured by her traveling companions to sleep with one of the German officers occupying the city of Rouen (it's set during the Franco-Prussian War) so that they can leave the city. After she does so and they escape successfully, [[UngratefulBastard they all snub her]]. Elelar seduces many powerful men in order to get useful information which helps the [[LaResistance Alliance]].
101	* ''Literature/BookOfEsther'': The eponymous Esther wins a [[CastingCouch "beauty contest"]] to find a new queen and saves her people from destruction by using her charms and sex appeal. She did this by being the sexiest girl and the best lay out of an entire harem of women chosen specifically for their beauty and sexuality. It would be like if US presidents chose consorts by selecting their favorite lay from a harem of pornstars, models, and beauty queens, and then one of those chosen consorts then used her position to get slavery abolished / civil rights enacted / favorable conditions for Native Americans.
102	* Ellen Patrick (a.k.a. ''Literature/DominoLady'') is just as likely to use her knockout figure and talents in the bedroom to uncover information and distract bad guys as she she is to use her .45 or her syringe of knockout drug.
103	* In ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh'', a wild man named Enkidu (who later becomes TheLancer to the eponymous Gilgamesh), spends a week with a temple prostitute named Shamhat, who teaches him how to be civilized. He curses her for that because if he had just stayed in the forest and lived as a wild man, he wouldn't have experienced so much loss during his and Gilgamesh's adventures. The Sun God sets him straight, by pointing out that even though it doesn't ''always'' seem that way, becoming civilized has made Enkidu's life better, and he ''owes'' Shamhat for that. Enkidu takes back the {{Curse}} he put on Shamhat.
104	* Invoked by Liesel in ''[[Literature/TheScholomance The Golden Enclaves]]'', [[spoiler:and all but name-checked when Aadhya accused her of trying to [[TheVamp "get her hooks"]] into an emotionally compromised [[TheHero Galadriel]]. Liesel casually admitted the truth of this, pointed out that as El's [[FriendlessBackground first unrelated and entirely sane friend]] Aadhya had quite a few hooks of her own imbedded, observed that El's character is such that the normal uses of such 'hooks' were either redundant[[note]]she'll put her life on the line to defend complete strangers for nothing[[/note]] or useless[[note]]she finds bullying people, or even enclaves, for mere personal gain inconceivable[[/note]], and spelled out that if El did grow tempted to exploit her '''[[PersonOfMassDestruction vast]]''' mystical power [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope for selfish ends]] ''everyone'' would benefit from more people with emotional ties able to calm her down.]]
105	* PlayedForDrama in ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream''. The [[TheSmurfettePrinciple sole woman]] Ellen was originally a chaste woman but the [[AIIsACrapshoot omniscient AI]] AM cursed her with a hyperactive sex drive for his amusement. She acted as a LivingEmotionalCrutch, comforting the other survivors emotionally and physically but they were so broken by their [[AndIMustScream century of torture]] that they couldn't truly appreciate it. Gorrister physically abused her whenever she annoyed him, UnreliableNarrator Ted had gone [[ProperlyParanoid mad with paranoia]] and convinced himself she was a selfish whore, and Nimdok [[FlatCharacter mostly kept to himself]]. She was the closest with Benny, who AM turned into a [[BiggerIsBetterInBed well-endowed ape]], which frustrated Ted all the more.
106	* A lot of problems in the first trilogy of the ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' series are solved by having the HighClassCallGirl protagonist, Phedre no Delaunay, find the right person to sleep with. This ranges from seducing an on-the-fence admiral to infiltrating the harem of a horrific dictator.
107	* It may take some stretching of the term "[[AntiHero heroic]]," but in ''No Good Deed'', Literature/ElsabethSoesten is not the least bit hesitant to sleep with Lord Cuncz as an easy means of gaining access to some documents she's come to steal. It's also made clear when she describes the plan to Hieronymus that she's used this particular trick [[ReallyGetsAround many times in the past]]. [[spoiler: The plan nearly falls off the rails and she has to resort to drugging him, because rather than getting an opportunity to slip away later after he falls asleep, Cuncz was ready and able ''to go all night''. It also turns out to be subverted in that Cuncz ''wants'' her to have the documents and knew why she was there all along. He just went with it for the opportunity to bed her.]]
108	* Creator/LarryNiven and Creator/JerryPournelle's novel ''Oath of Fealty'': Tony Rand, the chief engineer of the Todos Santos arcology, needs to come up with a plan to rescue someone from police custody. He's talking over his plans with a woman named Delores Martine. Because of problems in his personal life, he can't concentrate and starts to lose control of himself, so Delores repeatedly seduces him to calm him down so he can think.
109	* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Owlflight]]'', Lilly keeps the Barbarians from raping any of the village girls by keeping their attention on her.
110	* "Mary" from Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/ThePuppetMasters'' is walking death with hands/feet, with knives, and with guns. [[GunNut Lots of guns. Everyone of the guns.]] But her principal weapon is her sex appeal, which "Sam" is happy for her to use on him, but which is more useful for detecting aliens, [[spoiler:due to their not understanding human emotions like physical attraction]].
111	* Francesca in ''Literature/TheShadowOfTheLion'' uses her position as a [[HighClassCallGirl high-class courtesan]] to end a deadly family vendetta and to further the education (in all sorts of ways) of prince Manfred.
112	* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': Elelar seduces many powerful men in order to get useful information which helps the [[LaResistance Alliance]].
113	* ''Literature/SpecialOperations'': Both Finn's sister Anna and Louise Laval are heroic, yet complicated, versions, doing this to get information from German pilots, but possibly developing real feelings for them in the process. [[spoiler: Anna's boyfriend -who she doesn't appear to have ever had sex with- is aware of what she's doing and is actually using her, while Louise's got her pregnant, getting her shunned by her family, although this causes him to provide aid to the resistance]].
114	* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheStand'', Dayna Jurgens of the Boulder Free Zone goes to Las Vegas to infiltrate and spy on Flagg's organization. She sleeps with Flagg's [[TheDragon right-hand man Lloyd Henreid]] as part of this mission.
115	* Linda Downey from ''[[Literature/TheHeirChronicles The Warrior Heir]]'' is implied to be this, but she can wrap people around her little finger with her looks and some flirting. Actually having sex with them doesn't seem to be necessary. [[spoiler: It turns out this is her magic power]].
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
119	* ''Series/{{Alias}}'': Sidney Bristow has been known to dress provocatively on occasion in order to get into secret lairs and charm crime bosses.
120	* [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Inara Serra]] in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'':
121	** In the series as a whole, she is a minor example. Her status as a Companion grants the Serenity crew a level of respectability, allowing them to get around more easily.
122	** In a full-blown use of the trope, Inara's involvement with the son of the guy who runs Canton gave him the confidence he needed to stick up to his [[AbusiveParent dad]], and sooner or later, when the responsibility passes to him, he'll rule with a gentler hand.
123	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''
124	** Mrs. Tigh may be a woman of questionable morality, but her liaisons with the Cylon Cavil were ostensibly to secure her husband's release from the detention center, where he was likely being tortured, and ''had'' [[EyeScream lost an eye]].
125	** Baltar's Head-Six bounces like a pendulum between this and TheVamp every few episodes or so. Makes sense since Ron Moore has described her as being a [[MadonnaWhoreComplex Madonna-Whore]] made real.
126	* ''{{Series/Charmed 1998}}'':
127	** At one point when the sisters have powers from the Greek Gods, Phoebe is a LoveGoddess and envisions using her powers of seduction to turn their enemies against each other. It doesn't happen but it was worth a try.
128	** When infiltrating a demon market, Paige pretends to be a demonic seductress to get through the front door.
129	* In the D&D episode of ''Series/{{Community}}'', Annie, roleplaying as "Hector the Well-Endowed", seduces an elf maiden for a flock of Pegasuses.
130	* Chiana in ''Series/{{Farscape}}''.
131	** At one point, the crew is short on food. When someone offers them what they need in exchange for a night with her, she is more than willing to go through with it for the sake of her crew.
132	** On many other occasions, she's used her inherent sex appeal to extract information or to keep attention on her and be a distraction while her teammates are working.
133	* Detective Jo Martinez of ''Series/{{Forever\|2014}}'' only strays into this territory once, in "Fountain of Youth," when she starts acting flirty with a suspect in order to get him to give her his business card with his cell number — which she then lifts his fingerprints from.
134	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Margaery Tyrell. She's sexy and she knows it. And what does she do with her sexiness? Keeps [[TheCaligula Joffrey]] from being ''too'' cruel. Given the GrayAndGreyMorality of the show, this may be a case of PragmaticVillainy; she seems to see befriending the people as a path to power, rather than getting power in order to help the people.
135	* In ''Series/HoratioHornblower'', Miss Cobham used her sexiness and sex to preserve her alias as Duchess of Wharfedale when she was staying as a civilian in Spanish fort (and prison), and consequently she saved her and Hornblower's life. It also saved Horatio's super important dispatches for the Admiralty she was hiding for him. While the inquisitive French soldier she had to sleep with was sleazy and she was not happy about it, she saw it as the only way to keeps their plans safe.
136	* ''Series/{{Lexx}}'': Xev was not above using her libido to get what the crew needed. That she finally got the chance to satisfy said libido was of course an added bonus.
137	* The heroine of the TV show ''Series/LostGirl'' is a succubus who uses her magical seduction powers to flirt information out of bad guys regularly, and occasionally knocks them unconscious with a kiss. In particular, physical contact with her causes intense sexual pleasure, which is very useful for getting information out of people.
138	* The female agents in ''Series/MissionImpossible'' often filled this role. Best summed up by Cinnamon in the pilot episode:
139	-->'''Terry Targo:''' This will never work.\
140	'''Cinnamon Carter:''' Yes, it will. Remember what Dan said. People don't look at a crippled old man. They look away.\
141	'''Terry Targo:''' Yeah, but nobody looks less like Rollin than I do.\
142	'''Cinnamon Carter:''' Terry, ''I'll'' be wheeling you out. If anybody looks at you, I'll quit the sisterhood of women.
143	* Sloan Sabbith of ''Series/TheNewsroom'' is a [[DownplayedTrope minor]] example, in that she isn't so much a "hero" in the classical sense. She is however a morally upright, utterly brilliant, and stunningly attractive woman who Mac hires to report on economic news specifically because she is both A: eminently qualified, and B: so attractive that keeping the audience's attention won't be an issue. Aside from that, she once also charmed a teenage lech into giving her his phone (during a breaking news story that required a phone, while Don was using hers), and on another occasion, told a former student of hers that she was single (she wasn't, but her lover was in the room and indicated that saying so would be ok) in order to get information that could save their jobs.
144	* Emma, the protagonist of ''Series/OnceUponATime'', did this for a living as a Bail Bond Investigator, prior to taking over as TheSheriff of Storybrooke. Admittedly, the only time she's ever seen on the job is during the pilot, but [[LadyInRed holy crap did that dress not work like a charm]].
145	* ''{{Series/Shadowhunters}}'' depicts Isabelle as a GoodBadGirl who does a sexy dance to distract demons, and also sleeps with a Seelie to gain information.
146	* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
147	** The episode "Mirror, Mirror" shows Lieutenant Uhura getting minxy with Mirror-Sulu so that he doesn't notice a warning light that signals transporter tampering by Chief Engineer Scott. Once the danger is past, Uhura switches off the sexy.
148	** Many episodes in TOS feature Kirk having to seduce some lovely woman in order to save his ship and crew.
149	* ''Series/{{Underground}}'':
150	** Ernestine seduces and sleeps with her master in order to protect her children. She clearly hates it, but she does make him promise that her son won't be put to work in the fields.
151	** Elizabeth performs a [[ShowSomeLeg burlesque dance]] at the governor's ball to distract the crowd while John steals some valuable intel for the Underground Railroad. Later in the season, she reluctantly sleeps with the town Marshall (who just so happens to be her [[OldFlame ex-fiance]] and still very much infatuated with her) to keep him from taking away Boo, the runaway slave child she's been harboring. In the series finale, she's shown [[spoiler:having gotten involved with a guard at Harpers Ferry Armory to get information on when the weapons come for the raid by John Brown's men]].
152	* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': A minor example, and possibly a subversion. During the third season, the survivors are being terrorized by a man known as The Governor, whom Andrea just happens to be involved with. Knowing this, Carol suggests she take a page out of Jael's book; sex him to exhaustion, then impale his skull in his sleep. But after he's finally out, she can't bring herself to do it.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
156	* ''Literature/TheBible'', of all places, has quite a few examples of this.
157	** Judith from the apocryphal [[Literature/BookOfJudith book of the same name]] uses her sexuality to get close to Holofernes, the leader of the oppressive enemy, then kills him while he's vulnerable. She takes it a step further and [[DecapitationPresentation cuts his head off]].
158	** Tamar in the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis''. Her father-in-law Judah misblamed her for the deaths of his first two sons and wouldn't give her his third son in marriage as was the custom. As a result, his line was in danger of dying out. She then disguised herself as a veiled temple prostitute so that Judah lay with her. The result was twin boys who became the ancestors of the Judah tribe and of King David.
159	** Rahab is a prostitute, or a brothel madam, who gives the heroic Israelite spies a place to hide. She's one of the ancestors of King David and UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}.
160	** Jael, according to some translations of the word "covered." The {{Bowdlerise}}d assumption is that she tucked Sisera in all nice and snug before assassinating him, but [[UnusualEuphemism "covered" may have more adult-themed connotations]].
161	** The title character in the ''Literature/BookOfEsther'' prevents an extermination of her people by using her looks to manipulate the king into preventing it.
162	** Then comes [[Literature/BookOfRuth Ruth]]. With [[ShipperOnDeck some prodding]] by her mother-in-law, she spends a harvest season flirting with Boaz, who responds by giving her more than enough food to feed herself and Naomi. Then while he's passed out drunk from a party she goes and lies at his feet until he wakes up, at which point she proposes to him by invoking the law of Levirate marriage. [[RunningGag She's one of the ancestors of David and Jesus]].
163	* In UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}, Mohini is a female avatar created by Vishnu to seduce demons. She distracted the asuras during the churning of the Ocean of Milk (NoPunIntended) to steal the amrita elixir, and later tricked the near-invincible Bhasmasura into unknowingly killing himself.
164	** In a similar myth, once the gods find themselves threatened by Sunda and Upsunda, two demons with a boon according to which they can only be defeated by each other. In order to solve the problem, Brahma orders the artisan god Vishvakarma to create the most beautiful woman he can, and he creates the apsara Tilottama, who eventually seduces the demon brothers into killing each other for her love.
165	* Dakinis from Tibetan UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} are spirits that enjoy seducing men, but they are not evil, only mischievous (in fact, they are part of the retinue of some wrathful deities), and can be summoned to help you advance towards enlightenment.
166	* The [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] is a fox-like spirit who often shapeshifts and seduces human men. However, their intentions are rarely ill, with some actually encouraging or inspiring heroic and courageous acts, and many of them often wind up falling in love and become [[YamatoNadeshiko completely devoted wives and mothers]].
167	* [[{{UsefulNotes/Albania}} Albanian folklore]] has Nora of Kelmendi, also known as the "[[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Albanian Helen]]" whose beauty attracted the attention of an Ottoman pasha who sought to [[ScarpiaUltimatum marry her or else he'd destroy her land if she refused]]. According to one version of her legend, she seemingly goes along with his proposal and enters his harem with the intention of knocking him out with a bag of hashish and assassinate him with her family's dagger. He survives his wounds and later attacks her home, only to be later killed by [[ActionGirl Nora]] in a single duel.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
171	* Wrestling/JackieGayda served as one to protect Wrestling/TheWorldsGreatestTagTeam (one of them being her husband) and Wrestling/RicoConstantino when they were baby{{face}}s by using her assets to distract enemies trying to hurt them.
172	* While Wrestling/TammyLynnSytch was unsuccessful in seducing Wrestling/AustinAries, her efforts kept him out of The Age of the Fall trying to hijack Wrestling/RingOfHonor and set the events that would lead to their downfall in motion.[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
175	* In ''TabletopGame/SeventhSea'', it is likely that any PC Vodacce courtesan will fill this role, given their skill set. The are several NPC courtesans who fit as well, especially in the Sophia's Daughters secret society.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Video Games]]
179	* Lucy from ''VideoGame/SixteenWaysToKillAVampireAtMcdonalds'' is "the bait" in a team of vampire hunters; her job is to provide a tempting target for vampires in order to lure them into an ambush by her more combat-ready teammates. She's forced to take on a vampire by herself when [[BusmansHoliday she spots one at a local McDonalds on her night off]].
180	* Ayla in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has the Charm (get an item from an enemy) and Kiss (heal an ally) abilities, in addition to wearing only a FurBikini. She's also the single strongest character in the game, able to rip robots and monsters apart with her bare hands.
181	* It is possible (but [[CrapsackWorld by no means]] ''[[TheVamp required]]'') to play the Princess as this in ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues''.
182	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
183	** You can play this type of character in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. For example, one of the bargaining chips you can use to convince a pirate queen to mentor you, to convince a demon to stop possessing a child, or to solve a SuccessionCrisis is to sleep with (or, in the last case, marry) the person involved.
184	** Witty Ritts of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' was actually able to weaponize this: The Hinterlands is an all-out battleground between templars and mages with civilians caught in the middle. As an Inquisition scout, Ritts was set upon by a female mage, who did not attack her. Instead Ritts [[LesYay seduced her into laying down her arms.]] If Varric is in your party, he is amazed at her gift and encourages her to become an agent.
185	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII''[='s=] Jessica Albert is this through GameplayAndStorySegregation. Many of her special "Sex Appeal" skills in battles are seducing based that lets her debuff enemies. All her alternate costumes are also heavy on the fanservice. In the actual game though, she's actually more of the [[DCupDistress exact opposite.]]
186	** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', enemy monsters will occasionally lose their turn in battle by ogling one of your party members if their Charm attribute is high enough, complete with hearts floating around their head.
187	** Jade from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' has access to the same skillset as Jessica, which is called "Allure" in this game instead of "Sex Appeal". These abilities revolve around distracting enemies by seducing them and using her body in various ways to inflict pain. And much like Jessica, her actual personality is much more serious. The game also puts a spin on the concept by having Sylvando, one of the ''male'' members of the party do his own variations of the same attacks that both Jade and Jessica can use by utilizing his irresistible charm and his talents as an entertainer.
188	* You can also play this type of character in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. Aside from the normal dialogue trees, there are specific perks that affect men or women (both are available to either men or women) that will have some sort of desirable outcome gained through flirtation or outright sex. For example, you can resolve the situation with the StarterVillain by using this perk to follow him to his hotel room, whereupon you can either kill him, sleep with him, or sleep with him and ''then'' kill him. There are other examples as well, with one of the most direct ones being finding the military contact for a smuggling ring with the Great Khans gang, and convincing him to make his scheduled delivery by... well, you know.
189	* While Aphrodite of ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'' herself is more an ethically sketchy FemmeFatale, she can also bestow her supernatural allure on others. Thus, Zagreus becomes a RareMaleExample when he accepts any of her boons during an escape attempt, making foes fall in LoveAtFirstPunch and charming them into pulling their punches, exposing themselves to more damage, or pulling temporary {{Sex Face Turn}}s.
190	* Miss Fortune in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' is implied to be this. In her biography, it's stated she uses her great number of lovers to help her get rid of the ''Main/PirateKing'' Gangplank. Shown directly in the comic ''Fortune Smiles'' when she invites to dinner a rival local crimelord and seduces him to gain him to her side. It's debatable how heroic she is, however, given some of the downright immoral stuff she does in her line of work (such as in her color story).
191	* Sha'ira, the asari Consort in ''Videogame/MassEffect1''. She's introduced as a very powerful woman who is part confidant, part therapist, part soothsayer, and part prostitute. We're never given a clear indication of what she does...only that she "helps" people and that it sometimes involves sex. The only quest involves calling [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] to her room, and asking him/her to deal with a problem (one of her clients has become a [[ClingyJealousGirl Clingy Jealous Guy]] and she needs him to be talked down). She makes it clear that the man is a dear friend and that she wants him to get his act together. If you're disappointed with the platonic reward she gives, she'll also sleep with you.
192	** By extension, the other Consorts in her employ are also this trope -- but nowhere near her level of skill.
193	* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' has Primrose the dancer as one of its eight protagonists. Her unique skill, Allure, lets her seduce most [=NPCs=] ([[EvenTheGirlsWantHer of either gender]]) into following her around and participating in battles as an {{assist character}}. In her backstory, she insinuated herself into the employ of a loathsome tavern owner who is heavily implied to take advantage of his position over her and the other dancers, all as part of her plan to hunt down [[YouKilledMyFather the men who murdered her father]] when she was a girl.
194	* Ann in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' plays the seductress role to distract Yusuke to get into Madarame's house in order to unlock a door. At another Palace, she and the other girls have to talk up a Shadow for information. Though all the girls are wearing swimsuits, it is Ann that ends up doing much of the work by using her looks. She's also ''hilariously bad'' at it, which fits the theme of people not being who everyone thinks they are.
195	* Carmelita Fox plays this role in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' when she has to belly dance to distract some guards.
196	** THE MURRAY gets to be a [[DisguisedInDrag crossdressing]] example in the same game.
197	%%* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', Judith
198	* The [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Escort]] from ''VideoGame/TownOfSalem'' has the ability to Roleblock targets, preventing them from using their night abilities. She is on the side of the town though and thus is supposed to help stop TheMafia by... distracting their members. Unfortunately, if the Escort ends up doing this to the SerialKiller, she may very well wind up dead.
199	* Your character in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' if you have a high seduction stat. Mostly only applicable if female in the vanilla game, but the very popular unofficial patch makes this much more possible for male player characters as well. Going in hand with being a vampire, seduction is very much a part of your character's arsenal if they have the appropriate stat, and can be used while playing as a perfectly kind and empathetic character. You can also be TheVamp if you play as a not-so-nice character.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Web Comics]]
203	* In ''Webcomic/KeyChainOfCreation'', seduction is Marena's favored tactic, though she is not above turning into an 8-foot tall werefox should that fail.
204	* In ''Webcomic/PandorasTale'', Isabelle is a sex worker and part of the resistance. She and some of her colleagues are responsible for distracting the authorities from resistance activities in the nightclub they work at.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Web Video]]
208	* Antrius from ''[[WebVideo/OneForAll 1 For All]]'' does this in "Roll to Seduce", making him a rare SpearCounterpart.
209	[[/folder]]
210
211	[[folder:Western Animation]]
212	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': PlayedForLaughs. The episode "Large Marge" has Homer Simpson get masticated by their old elephant Stampy. The Springfield police are ready to shoot the beast, but Marge realizes that the police are very likely to shoot Homer as well. To allay this, Marge flashes her enhanced breasts to the crowd, and the police stop to ogle and drool. This gives Krusty the chance to comment, "Check out ''those'' mogumbos." This key word was the elephant's signal to play dead, and it spits out Homer intact.
213	* Lana, in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', tries to be this during her relationship with Luthor by taking advantage of how close she is to him to deliver information about his schemes to Superman, despite the latter's reluctance. It backfires when Luthor finds out about it, and she gives up on it.
214	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HeroicSeductress