Samus Is a Girl/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A fighter in full armor or some other form of gender-masking attire is revealed to be female.

  • Straight: Bob is saved by a warrior wearing a full suit of armor. The warrior is revealed to be Alice when she takes her helmet off.
  • Exaggerated: The armored warrior appears to be the pinnacle of masculinity. Underneath the armor is Alice, an incredibly feminine woman.
    • It isn't revealed that Alice is a woman until the very end of the last episode.
  • Justified: Alice's armor suit is either designed for men or designed in a very unisex manner.
  • Inverted: A warrior in very sleek, feminine-looking armor takes off their helmet. Inside the suit is Bob.
    • We're led to believe that The Hero is out to Save the Princess, but when he finally pulls off the rescue, we see him rescue Prince Bob.
  • Subverted: "Alice" later reveals himself to be an effeminate man named Alex.
  • Double Subverted: "Alex" is then revealed to be a Sweet Polly Oliver pulled by Alice in order to get the armor in the first place.
    • Even if Alice is not human, she is still technically female.
  • Parodied: Alice's "gender-concealing" armor is nothing more than a hat or a set of eyewear. Before the reveal, she is treated like a man despite obviously looking like a woman.
    • Alternatively: Alice's armor even changes her voice... When she's in her armor, she sounds like James Earl Jones.
    • Alice mannerisms and speech (even if it's muffled by the suit) are incredibly girlish. Yet, everyone gets shocked when she removes the armor for the first time.
  • Deconstructed: Alice has never before been seen without her armor, thus does all her work with everyone under the assumption she is a man. After The Reveal, the supporting characters take her less seriously, and feel she is "less up for the task" while ignoring her previous achievements to the contrary.
  • Reconstructed: Alice proves herself as a much more than capable warrior in a Take That to the men who doubted her.
  • Zig Zagged: Without her armor, Alice is a weak and defenseless girl who has no power. Which is pointed out by the men.
  • Averted: Alice's gender is made known to the viewers before she starts kicking butt in a suit of armor.
    • Alice's gender can be recognized by her armor.
    • The warrior never takes off its helmet.
  • Enforced: The author thinks the book needs Girls Need Role Models.
  • Lampshaded: "Wait, you're a girl?!"
    • "What do I have to do, put pretty pink ribbons on the chainguns? YES, I'M A GIRL! GET OVER IT!"
  • Invoked: Alice's peers are sexist, so she disguises herself in a bulky suit of armor, kicks ass, then intentionally reveals herself in order to prove a point.
  • Defied: Alice deliberately uses one of the aversions of this trope to make sure that nobody mistakes her for a guy.
  • Discussed: A character says, "This is one of those moments where a tough guy swoops in, saves the day...and turns out to be a girl."
  • Conversed: Someone jokes, "Hey, wouldn't it be hilarious if that big armored guy over there turned out to be a girl?"

Wait a minute, Samus Is a Girl?

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