Action Girl/Video Games

""Let me see if I'm understanding this. Freya is one of the main heroines of a JRPG -- and she doesn't at any point have the hots for the hero, never needs to be rescued by the hero, and in fact shows up the hero in a monster-slaying competition? (Unless the player really knows what he's doing during the Festival of the Hunt sequence, that is.) And wait -- does Freya really offer zero fanservice? Not even the slightest effort is made to cater to Secret of NIMH fanboy furries? (..) And am I really not imagining the game, when Freya ends up with the guy she has the hots for -- a guy who, again, isn't the game's male main character? Whoa. Not only might Freya be the best Dragoon in Final Fantasy, the best female party member in the whole series (at least from a feminist perspective).""
 * Many examples throughout the Growlanser series. Although all of the Growlanser protagonists are male, most of them are closely associated with an Action Girl right from the beginning. Julia Douglas from the first Growlanser is a notable example, being the first female to earn the prestigious "Imperial Knight" title that both Wein and Charlone aspire to in The Sense of Justice.
 * Phantasy Star I has what is probably one of the earliest examples of this trope in the form of Alis (Alisa in the original Japanese version). When her brother is killed at the beginning of the game by the evil King Lassic's forces, she doesn't hesitate to go kill him. She's a strong physical attacker with plenty of HP and defense, while her magic is actually pretty poor compared to Myau and Noah/Lutz's (an inversion of early RPGs stereotyping female characters as frail spellcasters).
 * Metal Gear Solid has The Boss, who is a very extreme example of this trope, probably closer to an Action Hero with breasts and bordering on a female Ace: physically powerful, emotionally intelligent, and deeply perceptive. She beats the snot out of the main character repeatedly; fought in World War II -- while hugely pregnant -- and became a hero; and makes everyone cry at the end. For a lot of rather complicated reasons, she has never been considered a Mary Sue and is probably the most popular female character in the fandom.
 * Meryl becomes one of these in Metal Gear Solid 4. The members of The Beauty and the Beast Unit from the same game are part this trope and part Nightmare Fuel.
 * Also Sniper Wolf from 1, Olga Gurlokavich and Fortune from 2 (Fortune also wields the biggest gun in the whole series including Raven's), and to some extent EVE from 3.
 * The female versions of the bloodlines in Bloodline Champions. The point of the game is fighting the enemy team, after all.
 * The Final Fantasy Series has numerous examples:
 * Final Fantasy II has Maria and Leila.
 * The DS version of Final Fantasy III has Refia.
 * Heck, even Rosa from Final Fantasy IV could count. Oh sure, she might SEEM like your typical Distressed Damsel but keep in mind, she abandoned the fortified Baron to search for her lover Cecil in the hopes of persuading him to stay true to his beliefs, despite having no real idea of where he was at that moment nor whether or not he was under orders from the King, while simultaneously knowing that he was with Kain, a man much more tied to the rule of law. She may have grown up in a semi-idyllic world, and thus be a little naive, but Rosa is a woman of great integrity and courage. (Too bad people refuse to see it.)
 * Rydia, the uber-badass Black Magician Girl, is an even better example, though Rosa ain't no slouch herself.
 * Lenna, Faris and Krile from Final Fantasy V.
 * Final Fantasy VI: Celes and Terra are ultimately the most powerful fighters and the most powerful spellcasters in the game, including using "knightly" equipment that most men aren't up to equipping. This is particularly obvious in a Natural Magic Challenge game...
 * Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII can punch and kick her way with the best of them. She has been trained in martial arts since she was a child, and has super human reflexes and strength. Yuffie Kisaragi the teenage ninja also qualifies, though her action is based more on speed than strength.
 * Final Fantasy VIII's Quistis and Selphie, being fully trained Seeds, surely qualify. Rinoa becomes one very late in the game due to . She fights beforehand, but as more of a back-row support character than complete Action Girl.
 * Freya Crescent from Final Fantasy IX. To put it in the words of one reviewer:

""You better not double-cross me, Kinbois, because I'll hunt you down and put your head to a stick! Even if it takes me to the ends of hell! Got it!?""
 * YYMV on that, since she does spend most of the game pining over another warrior
 * Beatrix, of the same game, gets the opportunity to play a game of Heads I Win Tails You Lose with the party three times, and then she joins as a Guest Star Party Member and gets to clean house.
 * Lulu from Final Fantasy X is a really Badass Black Magician Girl who fights alongside the guys to protect Yuna. Her powerful magic makes her one of the most valuable fighters in the game. Rikku, the Lovable Genki Girl Rogue, is no slouch either.
 * In Final Fantasy X 2, all three of the main characters are Action Girls, with Yuna trading in her summoning for two blazing guns, Rikku being her usual genki self, and Paine, a new charcter who's main charcter is a sword.
 * Ashe and Fran from Final Fantasy XII. One of them is a Badass Princess who kicks ass with a sword, the other is a sky pirate who can easily hold her own with any kind of weapon she wants, and also probably has a long history of ass-kicking.
 * Exactly half of the player party in Final Fantasy XIII consists of Action Girls: Lightning Farron, Oerba Yun Fang, and Oerba Dia Vanille.
 * Lebreau as well. Even though she's just an NPC with limited screentime, she sure does make the most of it!
 * Serah was also supposed to be one but had to be made an NPC due to implementation problems. Final Fantasy XIII-2 rectified the issue.
 * Live a Live has, from the Xin Shan Quan Master's chapter, Li Kuugo, former bandit and one of three possible characters to become the inheritor of the Xin Shan Quan martial arts style. Of the three possible characters, she is the fastest and has decent attack power and health (far faster than Sammo, more health than Yuan, although that ceases to be an issue as your level increases). Of the three characters, she starts with more attacks than Yuan, but less than Sammo, but is the only one of the three to get a whole-screen attack. Like the other two, she becomes death incarnate once she gets her ultimate tech.
 * Jaheira, of the Baldurs Gate series, is both a warrior and a druid, not afraid to criticize the PC for doing stupid things, and assumes a role of either leader or trusted advisor. She also has fabulous stats and wears the pants in her marriage. There are two parts of the games that are arguably not suited to her being an Action Girl, where she apparently picked up a Distress Ball (or was forced to):
 * She is cursed by someone she once had put away for slaving, and requires your help to survive it. This is acceptable because it wasn't a matter of strength; the spell affecting her would have overcome anyone in the party had they been targeted with it, and it was perfectly logical that the person who had it commissioned would come after her (personal vendetta).
 * If the PC is in a romance with her, a vampire entrances her and makes her a slave, . However, this happens to whomever the PC is romancing, male or female, including Anomen, the tall, "handsome", and bloody annoying knight-errant.
 * As a typical example of how good the adaptation is, she becomes an awful Faux Action Girl in the novels.
 * Krystal, from Star Fox, although it's heavily debatable on whether or not she's an Action Girl or a Faux Action Girl.
 * Speaking of which, Fara Phoenix, anyone?
 * The DS iteration of the series has one possible scenario in which Krystal, Katt Monroe, Lucy Hare (Peppy's daughter), and Amanda (Slippy's fiancee) team up to save Corneria. A good day for gender equality indeed.
 * Arioch from Drakengard, with the added bonus that she's Ax Crazy.
 * Selan in Lufia II fits this well, despite also having elements of The Chick (although Tia is more of a Chick). She also eventually becomes an Action Mom.
 * Almost all the girls who don't fit in the White Magician Girl mold in Fire Emblem. They're always treated as equal to, and are always every bit as competent as, the men. Leave it to Fire Emblem to feature plenty of beautiful ladies who kick epic proportions of ass in each game. The fact that this series takes place in a medieval setting makes it all the more awesome.
 * The best example is Princess Ayra from Fire Emblem 4. She is a very tough lady and has the deadly skill Ryuuseiken, which allows her to hit many times in a row for one round, which can easily mow down almost all enemies. This quote probably sums up her status as Action Girl, as she threatens her "boss" for using her beloved nephew as a hostage:

""The nomads of the plains do not abandon their fellow tribespeople. Eliwood and Hector are my dearest friends... Their sorrow is my sorrow. Their anger is my anger. Nergal! In my friends' names, I will cut you down!""
 * From the First Generation, there's also Lachesis, Briggid, Ferry, and Tiltyu. And the Second Generation has Ayra's daughter Lakche, 's daughter Yuria, Ethlin and Cuan's daughter Altenna, Tiltyu's daughter Tinny, Ferry's daughter Phee, and Briggid's daughter Patty.
 * If you don't pair the First Generation ladies and get the replacement units instead of their daughters (save Yuria and Altenna), you'll have Radney, Linda, Femina and Daisy.
 * Thracia 776 is kind enough to provide us with Mareeta, Macha, Sara, Misha, Evayle, Amalda, Karin, Miranda, Tanya, Olwen, Selphina, and Lara.
 * Another case in point, Mia, from Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. She travels around the world, looking for her ultimate rival. And in battle, she has awesome growths, slicing and dicing enemies to bits with her sword. And, she even drags the resident healer to her training sessions to ensure that she doesn't have to hold back. Said training sessions are always with Ike, who has a similar "no holds barred" training ethic to her. Everyone else on the mercenary crew is too scared to spar with them.
 * We also get Nephenee, Jill, Lethe, Tanith, Marcia, Lucia, Astrid, Calill, and Ilyana. And Radiant Dawn also adds Nailah, Sanaki, Lyre, Vika, Fiona, and Sigrun.
 * Even Princess Elincia starts heading in this direction towards the end of the first game, and has fully blossomed into a Badass Combat Medic by the second game.
 * Lyndis, one of the three main lords in Blazing Sword, is Hot Chick With a Sword who travels across the continent to defeat her evil uncle, and later joins the main party again in Eliwood/Hector's story as the female lead to fight against the Big Bads. This quote, just like Ayra's, defines Lyn's Action Girl status, which she says in her conversation with the Final Boss:

"Zhang He: You are supposed to be a woman, where is your sense of grace?
 * There's also Fiora, Rebecca, Vaida, Nino, Karla, Isadora, Louise, Farina, and Florina.
 * Marisa from Sacred Stones is a renowned mercenary who spent her whole life training to be a master of the sword, and as a result, has a very good reputation for her fighting abilities. And for good reason too, she's a damn good unit.
 * Even when in the beginning of Ephraim's route she gets whacked with a Distress Ball, Princess Tana is a Plucky Girl who refuses to stay aside even when her brother Innes tells her that she's still too green for battle, and is rewarded by becoming a damn good unit.
 * We also have Amelia, Vanessa, Lute, Myrrh and Neimi
 * Sheeda, Minerva, Paora, and Katua from the Akaneia games are the original Fire Emblem Action Girls. As you can probably tell at this point, Intelligent Systems loves this trope.
 * Argilla from Digital Devil Saga.
 * Alyx Vance of Half-Life 2.
 * Samus Aran is the original video game Action Girl, even if that wasn't always obvious. Nowadays, everybody knows -- and she's still one of the most Badass characters in the video game world, female or no. In-universe, she's considered a living legend, and many of the NPCs she meets in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are starstruck at seeing her.
 * Due to budget limitations, we never get to see Sergeant Brooks of the Crusader series of games in an actual fight, but when you consider the lower-ranked NCOs are afraid of her, she lips off multiple times to a superior officer who also happens to be someone who could probably kill her without a breaking a sweat, and survives WEC captivity with no wounds requiring anything more than a two-day stint in a (probably poorly-equipped) hospital, she almost certainly counts.
 * Queen Catherine Ironfist of Heroes of Might and Magic III, a cunning tactician, skilled warrior, and phenomenal leader. Then there's Mutare, a young human woman who rises to prominence in the "dungeon" cities of Nighon (populated mostly by monsters like harpies, medusas, minotaurs, etc.), makes a grab for power the moment her enemy shows a sign of weakness, and ends up the ruler of all Nighon due to . There are other female warrior-types who probably count, but those two are the only ones with real characterization -- the other characterized lead, Adrienne, doesn't count, because she's a Magical Girl.
 * Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. Even as the size of her breasts enlarged, she still kicked lots of ass.
 * At the height of her popularity, she was probably both the best recognized video, and the most popular video game (and PC) character originating in the western hemisphere. And her gender has never really been a matter of suspicion (a common problem in earlier, sprite-based characters). Given that all of her adventures have circled around her shooting enormous amounts of ammunition at similarly enormous enemies, she the action girl many would most readily identify.
 * Marino, the sexy thief from Mega Man X Command Mission.
 * From Mega Man ZX, there's Aile and Ashe. Ashe moreso, because she's an experienced Hunter who can kick ass with just a pistol (And Model A increases her ass-kicking ability quite a bit). Even more impressive is when you realize she can beat bosses with a weapon from the armory of one of few groups from Zero and ZX whose weapons are typically useless in the hands of anyone else besides bad guys and other heroes.
 * And Aile and Ashe are humans, in a series of robotic protagonists. That makes it even more impressive.
 * Monica from Dark Cloud 2, a time-traveling princess who's just as good with a sword as she is with fire magic (and she's cute, to boot).
 * Jade from Beyond Good and Evil is both a regular Action Girl and a kind of Action Mom -- although she doesn't have any biological children, she is the "mother" of several cute orphans at a shelter.
 * Mona Sax of Max Payne 2 is a very capable assassin who is the title character's equal when it comes to guns and ass-kicking in general. You get to play as her during the second act, when Max gets in trouble at the construction site and Mona has to ensure that he stays alive. You also step into her shoes during the third act, when Max gets a bullet in the head from Vlad at the funhouse and Mona "comes to get him through the fire." The two eventually go on a two-person castle storm on Woden's manor.
 * Many fighting game girls would fit here in some way, but a few are more noteworthy:
 * The famous Chun Li from Street Fighter II and beyond could turn anyone's head with her looks or one (thousand) of her ridiculously fast and powerful kicks. Her SF legacy is continued by ladies like Cammy White, Rose, Sakura Kasugano, Karin Kanzuki, Makoto, Elena, Hokuto, Pullum Purna and others.
 * Chun Li's partner in dishing out leggy Chinese violence, Jam Cloudberry from Guilty Gear is a Lethal Chef of a different variety. The other girls in the game aren't slouches either: May is a Badass Adorable with a huge anchor as her Weapon of Choice, Baiken is a one-armed Handicapped Badass, A.B.A can whack the hell outta you with a big key...
 * Nina Williams from Tekken would also count... though she might be a bit Darker than the norm. Ana Williams, Michelle and Julia Chang, Ling Xiaoyu, Jun and Asuka Kazama and Christie Monteiro would be more straight examples, then.
 * Don't forget the ladies from the King of Fighters saga. You have Cute Bruisers (Athena, Yuri, Hinako, Momoko), Badass Lolitas (Mignon), Action Moms (Vanessa), Ladies of War (Chizuru, Maki, Elisabeth), Blood Ladies (Vice and Mature), Emotionless Girls (Leona Heidern), Bifauxnen (King, though she's also a bit of an Action Mom because she raised her brother), Strong Grapplers (Shermie, Blue Mary) and many others.
 * Sophitia "Badass Mother" Alexandria. Fugudsakes, when she thought her daughter Phyrra was in danger, she promptly mowed down almost every single character in the game with ease. Honorable mentions go to the lady ninja Taki, the very talented Ivy Valentine, Sophitia's younger sister Cassandra, Chinese Girl swordswoman Chai Xianghua, Plucky Girl Seung Mina, Femme Fatale Setsuka and the tiny but powerful Talim.
 * Alicia Winston in Time Crisis 3. Not only does she subvert the series' trend of Distressed Damsels, which the past three games had, but she's also a playable character in the PS2 port.
 * Shanoa in Castlevania Order of Ecclesia.
 * Anyone from the Belnades clan of witches, and Maria Renard who was fighting monsters before puberty.
 * Sonia Belmont, the first Belmont, at least until they dreamed up Leon several years later, and then retconned her out of the timeline altogether.
 * Every female pilots in Super Robot Wars Original Generation series are all Action Girls. It doesn't matter if the said pilot is Moe Moe and shy. Once she enters her mecha, expect multitudes of ass-kicking to commence from her.
 * Ashley Williams in Mass Effect. Of all of the squadmates, she is the best all-around fighter, being able to use shotguns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles, wear heavy armor, has high hit points (second only to Wrex) and health regeneration, and can use Immunity, Shield Boost, and Adrenaline Burst. None of your other squadmates can do all of this.
 * There's also Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and Liara T'Soni, which are even more impressive: Tali is a mechanic; Liara is an archaeologist.
 * The sequel gives us four new action girls: Miranda Lawson (the Illusive Man's right-hand woman and Shepard's second-in-command), Samara (asari matriarch, Knight Errant, and Punisher), Jack (trained from childhood to be the ultimate biotic), and Kasumi Goto (possibly the galaxy's best thief). Tali also returns, having taken a level in badass since the first game. That's not even going into the NPCs.
 * All of these characters, however, are altogether outdone if Commander Shepard is played as a woman.
 * Bastila Shan in Knights of the Old Republic. And, like Ashley in Mass Effect, she pales in comparison to the female Player Character, particularly when you learn that the incredibly Badass Darth Revan everybody's been talking about all game, the one who beat the living daylights out of the Mandalorians and the Republic, Jedi Order and all? That is, if you happen to play that way. However, Canon.
 * Mira and the Handmaiden in the sequel, not to mention the Jedi Exile, who unlike the previous game's PC has been established as female in canon.
 * And Visas
 * And Mission and Juhani.
 * It's also worth nothing that Mission isn't a Jedi or a trained soldier; she's a 14-year-old street punk, and can still hold her own along the professional fighters. Growing up on the streets of Taris will do that to a kid.
 * Jade Empire has Silk Fox and Dawn Star. And the female PC, of course.
 * Neverwinter Nights has Aribeth and Sharwyn, adding Nathyrra in Hordes of the Underdark.
 * Neverwinter Nights 2 doesn't really have any perfectly straight examples, but Elanee, Neeshka, Shandra, and Kaelyn all show some elements of this. Safiya is more of a Squishy Wizard type.
 * One of the most effective light-side heroes in Battlefront 2 is Aayala Secura, the hot blue female Twi'lek with the two lightsabers
 * Blaze the Cat is the most straight example from the Sonic the Hedgehog games, but Amy is no slouch with that hammer of hers and Rouge has a more subtle brand of asskicking. Cream... could be considered more of a Technical Pacifist, with her Chao partner Cheese delivering all of the direct attacks. Shade from Sonic Chronicles is another perfect example, armed with twin blades, grenades and martial arts.
 * Jill Valentine from Resident Evil can tear through a Zombie Apocalypse like a hot knife through butter. Plus she has the honorable title of "Master of Unlocking".
 * Ada from Resident Evil 4 is also pretty badass.
 * Don't forget Sheva Alomar or Claire Redfield either.
 * Rebecca is an interesting case; in the original RE, she was The Chick, in Resident Evil 0, she's one of a duo of protagonists, and holds her own. It's weird to play 0, where she's quite capable, and then go to REmake (which happens in the same damn week), where she borders on Damsel in Distress at times.
 * Ayla from Chrono Trigger is easily the most powerful character (while fighting barehanded), even without magic powers like the other protagonists. And in-story, she is the leader of her village, and its most skilled warrior (even Kino, her boyfriend, is weaker than her).
 * Princess Marle is a pretty badass archer herself.
 * Oh, so very many in Valkyria Chronicles. Alicia, Marina, Rosie, Edy, Lynn, Jane, Catherine, Freesia, Rosina, Wendy, Audrey, Aika, Varrot, Juno, Aisha, Nina, Yoko, Elysse, Ramona, Cherry... Actually, let's just put almost every single girl in the game, shall we? Even Isara and Nancy have their moments.
 * Selvaria, the local Dark Action Girl, is arguably the most badass girl of them all, being able to wipe out every single unit on your squad, destroy tanks with one single blow, and deflect enormous attacks with her weapon.
 * Speaking of which, Aliasse, Lavinia, Coleen, Anisette, Rene, Chloe, Juliana, Nichol, Marion, and Sofia from Valkyria Chronicles II are every bit as kickass as the girls from the previous game.
 * Riela and Imca from Valkyria Chronicles III also seem to be shaping up into rather Badass Action Girls. Of course, since this is Valkyria Chronicles, we're betting most of the other girls are gonna turn out like this too.
 * In Planescape Torment, Annah is a fierce and fearless knife-fighter. She's drawn to the protagonist almost against her will, but then so are the rest of the NPCs,.
 * Most females from the Disgaea series. For example, Ax Crazy Princess Sapphire, who's also part of a Battle Couple.
 * Ashelin from the Jak and Daxter games has had full Krimzon Guard training, and unlike most of the Guard, actually remembers it.
 * In the Halo 3 level "The Covenant", as Sergeant Johnson is held prisoner by the Brutes, Miranda Keyes.
 * Other badass ladies include Noble Two, aka "Kat", from Halo Reach, and a bunch more SPARTANs and Marines in the Expanded Universe. It can also apply to the only human in the Haloverse equal to the Master Chief in overall deadliness, if the player chooses to make Reach's Noble Six female.
 * Ashei, the lady knight who aids Link in The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess.
 * Princess Zelda has been slowly approaching this Trope for some time; in Ocarina of Time she fills a more Barrier Maiden role, but in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess she takes a more combative role. In Spirit Tracks, she qualifies fully. It's less noticable in Skyward Sword, but she still manages
 * The Gerudo are apparently an entire race of them.
 * Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3. Arguably, the very nature of the series makes the other female characters varying types of a Faux Action Girl at the very least, but Heather is probably the most well-known and easily identifiable example of a true Action Girl.
 * The Tales Series has several:
 * From Tales of Symphonia, we have Sheena Fujibayashi, Presea Combatir, and Colette Brunel. Sheena is a Hot Amazon who can pull off plenty of flashy ninja moves and use some powerful Summon Magic. Meanwhile, Presea is a young girl who's choice of weapon is a giant ax that is literally heavier than she is and her physical strength is the highest in Symphonia. An finally, Colette, despite her occasional Distressed Damsel tendencies, is perfectly capable of handling herself on the battlefield.
 * From Tales of Destiny, we have two Hot Chicks with Swords; Rutee Katrea and Mary Argent. We also get an adorable Archer in Chelsea Torn. And finally, Lilith Aileron can beat you up with a pan and a ladle.
 * Even Philia is quite fond of throwing bombs at people before nuking them into oblivion.
 * And let's not forget Nanaly Fletch from Tales of Destiny 2, a hot, tomboyish Archer who can kick your ass and look good doing it.
 * Farah Oersted in Tales of Eternia is so powerful that she is capable of firing three consecutive beast heads with the technique "ground breaker" and she does this ENTIRELY BAREHANDED.
 * Sophie from Tales of Graces is probably no more than five feet tall and is skinny as a rail, but she can beat baddies into the ground with her gauntlets like no one's business.
 * Also Pascal from the same game.
 * Cheria Barnes is one of the most-used characters because of her flexibility in combat. She can fight at long range or in melee, she can cast magic, her abilities allow her a lot of manoeuvrability, and she can heal. Her Accelerate Mode is one of the best, and can be used to stop enemy Blast Calibers during Arles Break. For Solo Character Runs, she's top-tier alongside Hubert and Sophie.
 * Innes of Tales of Hearts has a Big Fucking Soma and knows how to use it.
 * Kohak from the same game,.
 * Tales of Legendia gives us Chloe Valens, a tough-as-nails Hot Chick With a Sword who kicks everyone's asses and takes names. We also have Grune, a very powerful Black Magician Girl.
 * Suzu Fujibayashi and Arche Klaine from Tales of Phantasia. Suzu is a cute, badass little ninja girl and an Optional Party Member who makes an excellent addition to the party if you choose to get her, and Arche is an awesome Black Magician Girl who's powerful magic will obliterate any unlucky opponent.
 * All three of the girls in Tales of the Abyss are Action Girls. Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear is probably the most straight-up example of the three, being a Badass Princess with some awesome archery skills. Tear Grants, meanwhile, is a serious, battle-hardened Defrosting Ice Queen who manages to make the White Magician Girl role seem really, really Badass. And finally, Anise Tatlin is a tank-tastic Cute Bruiser who rides into battle on a giant teddy bear, and boy, can that teddy bear kick ass.
 * Judith is the resident air master of Tales of Vesperia and was so popular that she was accepted as one of the characters to appear in Tales Of Vs. Rita Mordio, the local Tsundere of the same game, is also a kickass Black Magician Girl. She also appears in Tales of Vs.
 * Patty Fleur from the same game seems to be a pretty good fighter herself.
 * Even Estelle has some nice fencing moves, is the party's resident Combat Medic, and overall quite a tank. Granted, she does get hit HARD with a Distress Ball at one point, but before and after that, she still counts.
 * Milla Maxwell from Tales of Xillia has already established herself to be a kickass Hot Chick With a Sword in several trailers. Aside from her awesome appearance and nifty sword fighting skills, she's also shown to be a Magic Knight with a Determinator-like attitude. Apparently, she "shows no hesitation when carrying out a mission". Fans initially feared that she would be subject to Chickification, which while it did happen in the beginning of the game, it was for perfectly legitimate reasons story-wise, and she more than got over it.
 * Leia Rolando can be added to the list as well. Sure, she may wield a Simple Staff, but she's not a helpless, meek little healer girl. Instead of using her staff to heal, she uses it to kick ass!
 * Most of the playable female characters in the Dynasty Warriors series, especially Sun Shang Xiang and Zhu Rong, where there is some basis in the source material.
 * Other ladies who deserve mention include Xing Cai, Yue Ying, Bao Shanniang, Diao Chan, Lian Shi, Xiao Qiao, Wang Yuanji, and Zhen Ji.
 * Ginchiyo Tachibana and Ina from Samurai Warriors 2 are easily the toughest women in the game. Whereas the other female characters either wear robes (Okuni, No) or are ninjas (Nene, Kunoichi from SW 1), Ina is the daughter of Tadakatsu Honda (regarded as the strongest in the land) and wields a giant bladed bow while wearing armor (and one of her alternate costumes in Warriors Orochi 2 has full body armor). Ginchiyo wears full plate and chain mail, wields a serrated, lightning-imbued sword and has one of the most devastating movesets in the game. There's even a line group between her and Zhang He (a very un-masculine character from Dynasty Warriors) in Warriors Orochi:

Ginchiyo: You are supposed to be a warrior! Where is your sense of masculinity!?"


 * Aqua from the Kingdom Hearts series.  Xion would probably be more of an intentional case of Faux Action Girl, since she can only fight when  Also,
 * Ariel and Mulan get to show their Action Girl chops as party members, Mulan is especially interesting since she's a complete joke while she's in disguise as boy, but once she drops the disguise she Takes a Level In Badass.
 * Naturally, Tifa and Yuffie's appearances can add them to the list as well, especially when they help Sora fight off a whole swarm of Heartless. Tifa gets bonus points for briefly going toe-to-toe with Sephiroth in Cloud's place.
 * A staple of Command and Conquer, since Red Alert introduced us to Tanya Adams, a certified Badass "professional volunteer".
 * After that in Tiberian Sun we had Umagon, a mutant lady who was Put On a Bus during the expansion.
 * Red Alert 2 Tanya returned portrayed by Kari Wuhrer.
 * Tiberium Wars introduced a new Nod Commando with a sexy accent and an eyepatch, and it's expansion also introduced a squad of sonic grenade launching jetpack women in form fitting Powered Armor.
 * Red Alert 3 once again had Tanya (this time Jenny McCarthy), along with Natasha (Gina Carano), and Yuriko. Oh, and there were flying anime-inspired laser dominatrices; I am not making that up.
 * Lani, Kidra, and Santes from The Reconstruction. Lani is Hot Blooded, prone to yelling a lot, and bashes any foes that come her way with a giant tower shield. Santes blasts any foes in your way to oblivion with Judgement.
 * A non-Player Character example: Syri is a skilled assassin.
 * Ophelia, Lita, the Razor Girls, and the Zaulia in Brutal Legend. In other words, every woman in the game.
 * Ayame from Tenchu, a kunoichi who, after a string of traumatic events in her childhood, took an attitude and became the second best ninja in the Azuma Ninja Clan. Also a Deadpan Snarker in most games.
 * Visions & Voices has Elena, and, to a lesser extent, Telia.
 * War Craft has Tyrande Whisperwind, Maiev Shadowsong, Shandris Feathermoon... Hot Amazon is the Hat of female night elves. Also Garona Halforcen. Really, though, (nearly) all female player characters are this.
 * World of Warcraft's Cataclysm expansion introduces Fanny Thundermar of the Twilight Highlands. She gets kidnapped by ogres as part of the main questline, but by the time the player reaches her... she's brushing herself after killing her three ogre jailors bare handed, asking you "What took ye so long?"
 * Lelianna and Morrigan from Dragon Age. The player character, if female, definitely qualifies as well.
 * The eponymous Shantae.
 * Katt/Rinpoo from Breath of Fire 2 may wield a staff, but don't let that fool you. First seen battling at a colliseum for shits and giggles, she joins up with Ryu and becomes one of the best physical fighters in the game.
 * Staff my ass. She uses a Zhua! A sub-section of staff with a big-ass, heavy, SHARP claw on the end. For bonus points: Said claw is a Katt's claw! Don't think there's a difference? The Zhua has been known to crack a man's skull cleanly in two with a single swing. And that's BEFORE they get the sharp end out.
 * Charlotte, Ionae, and Grace, the three sharpshooters in The Spirit Engine 2. While they have low defense, they can dish out significantly damaging ranged attacks, as well as a poisoning attack.
 * Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (the next gen console verison that is) well help Spidey fight off symbiotes with a shotgun, while suffering from a broken arm. Black Widow will also blast a few symbiotes with a SVD.
 * MJ took a massive Level in Action Girl in this game, if you compare her potrayal in any other game she's always a helpless Distressed Damsel or a Suporting character in the Cinimatics, here, her deathcount for Symbiotes is higher than any other normal person in the game (Not Counting those with SHIELD level training), & she put fear into Luke Cage, LUKE CAGE! Watch his introduction, & then remember that he was Scarred of a girl whose constantly wearing a see-threw top in the game.
 * Uncharted. Chloe is an action girl of Nate's equal, and Elena is a journalist who... happens to kick a lot of ass. Somehow. Who's complaining?
 * In Persona 3, the female protagonist is the most powerful member of the group who naturally falls to this.
 * Mitsuru, Aigis and Yukari also fall into this.
 * In Persona 4, there's Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto. In fact, pretty much every female party member in any of the Persona games is this, from ex-delinquent Team Mom Yukino in the first game to duel-pistol-wielding Intrepid Reporter Maya in Persona 2.
 * Savyna and Xelha in Baten Kaitos, Eternal Wings And The Lost Ocean.
 * Also Milliarde in Origins.
 * Kate from Hydrophobia certainly fits this trope. Taking fearlessly diving under flooded corridors and tackling armed terrorists with only the slightest prompting from an annoying Scotsman. Also shown that she did quite a bit of rock-climbing before the incidents of the game too.
 * Anne in Jurassic Park: Trespasser. Favours guns, but will use sticks if necessary, and enjoys counting the number of rounds left in a gun out loud, and also has a heart-shaped tattoo on her breast that is an indicator of how much health she has left. Wow.
 * Princess Peach always has been, and always will be, a classic textbook example of the Distressed Damsel. This, tragically, is her eternal fate. HOWEVER, there are a couple of games in which she is temporarily spared of this horrific curse and given a chance to shine. Namely, Super Princess Peach, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Paper Mario, and Super Mario RPG. Yes, believe it or not, Princess Freaking Peach is an Action Girl is those games. She even gets one single Action Girl moment towards the end of Paper Mario. There are also a few genuine Action Girls in other games; Bombette, Lady Bow, Watt, and Sushie from Paper Mario, Goombella, Vivian, Ms. Mowz, and Madame Flurrie from Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door, Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, Princess Daisy from the spin-off games, and Tippi, Carrie, Dottie, and Piccolo from Super Paper Mario.
 * Just like their comic book counterparts, all of the women in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games are super-hardcore, super-badass Action Girls; Ms Marvel, Storm, Elektra, Invisible Woman, Songbird, Spider Woman, Jean Grey, Psylocke, and She-Hulk. And whatever new playable female characters that might be in the third game.
 * Jean from Lunar: Eternal Blue is both an professional dancer AND a martial arts expert who packs a seriously mean punch. Especially after she Took a Level In Badass.
 * Lemina Ausa from the same game also has some nice offensive magic on her.
 * The Dragon Quest series has some:
 * Dragon Quest II  has the princess of Moonbrooke as Dragon Quest's earliest example.
 * Dragon Quest IV gives us Tsarevna Alena, Meena, and Maya.
 * Along with the hero, if you chose to make your hero female.
 * Dragon Quest V has Bianca, Nera, and Debora. There is also Madchen, the little whip wielding, magic casting princess.
 * Dragon Quest VI has Millie and Ashlynn.
 * Dragon Quest VII has Maribel and Aira.
 * Dragon Quest VIII has just one, Jessica. But what an action girl!
 * Some female party members from Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest IX could fit this trope, depending on your party.
 * Several girls from the Star Ocean series, including:
 * Illia and Phia from Star Ocean First Departure.
 * Opera, Precis, Celine, and Chisato from Star Ocean the Second Story.
 * Maria, Nel, Peppita, and Mirage from Star Ocean Till the End of Time.
 * Myuria, Reimi, Meracle, and Lymle from Star Ocean the Last Hope.
 * Alice herself Took a Level In Badass in American McGee's Alice.
 * Alan Wake has Sheriff Sarah Breaker, who is an indispensable ally and one of the few people you run into constantly that isn't a Jerkass.
 * Fallout New Vegas has the Power Fist loving Veronica and the hard drinkin' hard shootin' Cass, daughter of Cassidy.
 * Fallout 3 had Star Paladin Cross, for goodies and Clover the psycho-slave for baddies.
 * Fallout 2 had Miria, an Unwanted Spouse that you could marry regardless of gender, who was quite skilled in Unarmed.
 * Furthermore, you were allowed to bestow this status upon your female Player Character from the very first Fallout by way of the Action Girl perk.
 * Maia and Sangaril from the (unfortunately) obscure RPG Summoner 2.
 * Lucy Stillman from the Assassin's Creed series. Not so much in AC1, but she Took a Level In Badass between 1 & 2; come AC2, she's a kick-ass, high-heel wearing, falcon-punching Action Girl.
 * Rosa, Paola and Teodora also fall into this, the first being part of the Venetian Thieves Guild and more than capable of handling herself even with an arrow in her leg, the latter two being Assassins and performing leaps of faith at the end of :Memory Block 11. Catarina Sforza also gets in on the trope during the Battle of Forli expansion.
 * Rose, Miranda, and Meru from Legend of Dragoon.
 * Aika from Skies of Arcadia, who made a comeback in Valkyria Chronicles along with Vyse to kick more ass.
 * KOS-MOS from Xenosaga with her big-ass guns. And her big-ass... other guns.
 * Lieutenant Keira Stokes of F.E.A.R. is the only female in the Delta Force team, but she's in Delta Force. No further explanation required.
 * Every female in Vanguard Bandits is fully capable of kicking some ass. Being in giant mecha just makes it easier.
 * Lennus II features the curious example of a woman named Nikita, a burlesque dancer by profession, who reveals that she had worked to perfectly tone her body not to please the eyes of others, but to fight! "I want to fight! I want to fight! I want to fight!" If you dismiss her from your party, she'll hate you for robbing her of the chance to be an Action Girl.
 * Now that mages have been given more badass melee combat in Dragon Age 2, arguably any of the female cast could qualify, but of particular note is a female Hawke, Aveline, Isabela, and Merrill.
 * Ellie from Dead Space 2. Just for starters, when she, she
 * Faith from Mirrors Edge certainly counts as one, too.
 * Amea counts as one, the first genuine example from a Godlimations game.
 * Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile is one of the strongest, most ladylike RPG heroines to date.
 * Her sisters Hrist and Silmeria have no trouble keeping up with her in a fight, while their patron, Freya, is legendary among Tri-Ace fans for how overpowered she is. Silmeria's mortal vessal, Alicia, grows into one after the two are seperated, and the valkyries have no shortage of female warriors and mages among their einheirjar.
 * Rubi Malone from Wet is voiced by Eliza Dushku. That pretty much says it all.
 * Eleanor Lamb from Bio Shock. We may only get her briefly, but she kicks so much butt. Dr. Tenenbaum also deserves credit for surviving Rapture and WWII with only her smarts and her gun. We may not see her fight, but she must've to live to that age and still be alive (and escape)
 * Despite being relegated to Alternate Continuity, Mercury from Tron 2.0. Current champion of the Game Grid, armed with not a classic disk, but a nasty Rod Primitive, fights off a horde of Z-Lots to get Jet and Ma3a to safety, gets Jet out of the lightcycle arena death trap twice. Not as much of a shock when you find out who programmed her...
 * Septerra Core presents Maya, Led, and Selina as these.
 * Fear Effect has Hana and Rain as these.
 * The Suikoden series has too many Action Girls to count. Since each game has 108 Heroes, it shouldn't be that surprising that there are one or two of these.
 * Chell from the Portal games. Armed with only a portal gun, the long fall boots and her own brains, she'll escape death traps and fight robots. Just watch!
 * The third Gears of War marked the first time female characters were playable on the battlefield. The in-universe explanation for the lack of female soldiers previously is that humanity is on its last legs and the women are needed to help maintain the population; any female COG soldiers are actually infertile and perform support roles. Prior to the second game, the only female Locust we see are the Berserkers, which are huge, ugly hulking beasts.
 * Anya Stroud, the Mission Control for the first two games, becomes a frontline soldier in the last game (along with other female Gears, Samantha Byrne and Bernadette Mataki) because the stakes were a lot higher now.
 * Alicia Valera is another female COG who is part of Zeta-Six,.
 * Queen Myrrah, the Locust Queen, likewise takes up her battle armor in the last game because her people are fighting for their very survival.
 * Pretty much every female character in Blaz Blue is this. The most notable examples, though, are Noel Vermillion, Tsubaki Yayoi, Litchi Faye-Ling and Makoto Nanaya.
 * The Etrian Odyssey series always features two female character designs for each class, and favors using mostly women in its official artwork. In addition, each class has an 'official' representative that symbolizes that game:
 * Etrian Odyssey features the blonde Protector.
 * Heroes of Lagaard uses the Gunner with a Jack Frost hatclip.
 * The Drowned City uses the ponytailed Princess.
 * And the upcoming Legend of the Giant God uses the short-haired Swordswoman.
 * All playable characters in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series fit the bill perfectly.
 * All playable characters in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series fit the bill perfectly.