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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"A little fight in ya...I like that."''|''[[The Joker]]'' ''in'' ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.}}
|[[The Joker]]|''[[The Dark Knight]]''.}}
 
In fiction, most villains are used to dealing with the [[Distressed Damsel in Distress]]. They scream, they're easily subdued by grasping their [[Standard Female Grab Area]], they're generally easy to dominate. This can get rather dull if it goes on for long enough.
 
As a result, the villain tends to be pleasantly surprised when he captures an [[Action Girl]] and she puts up a fight. Oh, he'll still hold her hostage. He'll still kill her when the time comes. But when she spits in his face, [[Groin Attack|kicks him in the crotch]] and insults him with a witty rejoinder, well, he can't help but shake his head (perhaps smirking as he does so) and say, "I'll give you this. [[You Got Spunk]]."
 
That last word tends to vary, since "spunk" is occasionally used as slang for... a certain substance. "Moxie" is a good substitute, as are "fight" and "spirit". This is meant to be a compliment, because hey, we all "love a woman with spirit," but it usually comes off as a rather condescending [[Stock Phrase]].
 
These days, this isn't strictly a man-to-woman trope. It has a much darker and creepier connotation when used in the middle of [[Rape Tropes|a rape scene]]. It may also be used in less extreme situations by someone who's not a villain, merely a [[Grumpy Bear]], in which case they'll make it a backhanded compliment by adding "[[ItsIt's XIX. I Hate X.|I hate spunk.]]" Not that real villains can't hate spunk, too.
 
For the non-rapey version, please see "[[I Love You Because I Can't Control You]]". "[[You Got Spunk]]" is more "''I '''will''' love you because it is hard to control you''", and [[Captain Obvious|unsurprisingly]], has the [[Unfortunate Implications|less pleasant implications]]. Compare [[Will Not Be a Victim]] (for the [[Action Girl]]'s perspective) and [[I Have You Now, My Pretty]] (for the villain's perspective). Contrast [[No Guy Wants an Amazon]] and [[No Guy Wants to Be Chased]].
{{examples}}▼
 
▲{{examples}}
== Anime &and Manga ==
* Shikamaru in ''[[Naruto]]'' when commenting on Temari: "I forgot: this girl is a spunky one. I ''hate'' spunky."
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Nini]]'': Shmion to Rika: "Oh you still got some strength left? Well, it would be no fun if you didn't!"
* At some point late in the ''[[Gravitation]]'' manga, Mr. K says to [[Yaoi Fangirl]] Rage as they have each other at gunpoint: "Heh. I like your spirit... '''spattered across the pavement!'''" His wife stops him from hurting anybody by hurting him. She's that kind of woman.
* The [[Hentai]] series ''[[Spunky Knight]]'' manages to use ''both'' definitions of spunky for its main character.
* ''[[Ranma 1/2½]]'' says Akane has spunk.
 
 
== Films -- Animation ==
* In [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney's]] ''[[Hercules (Disney1997 film)||Hercules]]'', a centaur tells a captured Megara, "I like 'em fiery."
* In ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]]'', Shere Khan says to Mowgli, "You have spirit for one so small."
* In the ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' sequel the Return of Jafar, Jafar tells a captured Jasmine who's face he has grabbed: "Mmmm such spirit." In response Jasmine tries to bite him.
 
 
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* ''[[The Dark Knight]]''
** [[The Joker]]. "A little fight in ya... I like that." (Followed by "[[Stealth Hi Bye|Then you're gonna love me]].")
** A bit of a variation occurs with [https://web.archive.org/web/20131030003608/http://www.leahy.senate.gov/biography/ U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy] who stands up to him: "You know, you remind me of my father. I ''hated'' my father!"
* In ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a young Bruce Wayne was told this by mob boss Falcone.
* Happens near the end of ''[[Leprechaun (Filmfilm)|Leprechaun]]: Back 2 tha Hood''; while trapped in an elevator with the Leprechaun the [[Final Girl]] smashes him with a dislodged light fixture and proceeds to electrocute him with one of the cables. Afterward the Leprechaun, pretty much unfazed, states "I like her" while she flees the scene.
* Though not specifically voiced, the villain in ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]'' is obviously impressed by Lucy when she uses the phone call to her father to calmly inform him how many men he has left to kill.
* In ''[[Stuart Little]] 2'':
{{quote| '''Snowbell:''' ''(to Stuart)'' You've got guts, kid! Guts, and... and ''spunk''! Not to mention moxy! You got guts, spunk and moxy!}}
* ''[[Ever After (Filmfilm)|Ever After]]'': Le Peu, as he tells Danielle more than once, likes a girl with spirit.
* In ''[[The Sting]]'' Kid Twist is interviewing people to be in on the con that they are pulling when the guy he talking to is one that he saw get beat up by a cop for keeping his mouth shut. Twist asks him if he got the banged-up nose from the cop, when he says yes, Twist says, "You got Moxie, Kid" and hires him.
 
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* The ''[[Darkest Powers]]'' trilogy
** A werewolf says this to Chloe when she asks about his leg, which she stabbed with a switchblade a few days earlier.
{{quote| '''Liam:''' Don't worry. I forgive you for the leg. I like a little spirit in my fillies. Makes them more fun to break.}}
** And reiterates, when she tries to block him from finding (and killing) her [[Love Interest|friend]] [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl|Derek]], who is currently completely defenseless.
{{quote| '''Liam:''' You ''do'' have spunk. We're gonna have fun, just as soon as I take care of your boyfriend.}}
* Mariel of ''[[Redwall]]'': The title character is cornered by three searats and kicks one in the throat, killing him. The others don't use the exact usual words of this trope, but they come close. "A warrior maid, eh?"
* In the second ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' book, Polyphemus says this to Clarisse, before trying to force her to marry him.
* ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'': Ges Vorryter mentioned that women with spirit (meaning Cordelia) should be more fun to break. Fortunately for her, [[Off Withwith His Head|he never got to test that]].
* The goblin kings of the ''[[Hollow Kingdom Trilogy]]'' admire a [[Abduction Is Love|kidnapped bride]] who utterly detests them and tries her best to escape, because it shows that she has the strength of spirit to carry a strong king for the next generation.
** In the first book, Kate manages to one-up them all by outwitting Marak repeatedly, agreeing to marry him ''on her own terms'' (a previously unheard-of occurrence), and then getting past the heavy enchantments to keep the King's Wife bound to the kingdom in the second half. Marak is of course delighted, and not just because [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other|she did the last to rescue him]].
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== Live-Action TV ==
* The most famous usage is arguably [[Ed Asner]]'s subversion in the pilot for ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV)|The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', when his character, [[Lou Grant (TV)|Lou Grant]], gives Mary the aforementioned compliment, only to follow it up by saying, "I ''hate'' spunk." This exchange was also used when Asner appeared on ''[[The Colbert Report (TV)|The Colbert Report]]''.
* ''[[Star Trek Enterprise (TV)|Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' ("Borderland"). T'Pol and other crew members are captured by Orion slave traders, one of whom is played by enormous wrestler Paul "Big Show" Wight.
{{quote| '''Orion Slaver:''' ''(with his hand around T'Pol's neck)'' You've got spirit. I might just keep you for myself.<br />
''(T'Pol delivers a well-aimed kick to a [[Groin Attack|sensitive area]])''<br />
'''T'Pol:''' I'm not for sale. ''(she's beamed away)'' }}
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'':
{{quote| '''Ken:''' That... was not permitted.<br />
'''Buffy:''' Yeah, but it was ''fun''.<br />
'''Ken:''' You've got guts. [[Narm|I'd like to slice you open and play with them]]. }}
** Also:
{{quote| '''Glory:''' ''(grinning)'' Ooh, I like her. She's sassy! ''(pauses, tone turns serious)'' And I'll kill her.}}
* In an episode of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', the incompetent builder O'Reilly speaks of Sybil Fawlty, "I love a woman with spirit! I do! I do!" She beats the shit out of him.
* Played straight by the script and yet subverted by the performance in ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]'': Kate has been captured (again) and is flailing about in front of Prince John who comments that she's "fiesty". However, Prince John was played by Toby Stephens, and therefore he comes across as bored rather than impressed at Kate's "spunk".
* ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'': Aunt Lily absolutely abhors the shady and manipulative Dwight Dixon. Dixon, on the other hand, is fairly amused by her hostility and refers to her as "my spicy cocktail."
* ''[[The West Wing]]'': Senator Lloyd Russell is attempting to soothe his just-fired adviser, Mandy Hampton. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it doesn't help:
{{quote| '''Russell''': You’ll bounce back. You’ve got spunk.<br />
'''Mandy''': I could kill you with my shoe! }}
* ''[[Dinosaur King]]'': Dr. Z says this to the heroes Max and Rex after they wreck his Alpha Bots.
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== Puppet Shows ==
* Possibly Lampshaded in ''[[Team America: World Police]]'', where, after Gary Johnston stands up to a terrorist, the terrorist responds, "I like you. You have balls. I like balls."
 
 
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* Volgin from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' 3 says about the captured EVA: "She's got spunk."
* There's also a woman-to-man example in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 1'' from Wolf to Snake:
{{quote| '''Wolf:''' Would you like to die now? Or after your female friend?<br />
'''Snake:''' ''(resisting)'' I'll die after I kill you.<br />
'''Wolf:''' Is that right? At least you've got spirit. }}
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]'': "I tell ya, Kairi, you got a lot of ''guts'' jumping straight into the darkness like that."
* In ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]] Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal'', after Guybrush completes the three pirate newsmaking tasks, Davey Nipperkin becomes impressed and says:
{{quote| '''Davey Nipperkin:''' You know, Threepwood, you've got spunk. Pirate spunk.<br />
'''Guybrush:''' [[Squick|Ew.]] }}
* ''[[Togainu no Chi]]'': Shiki becomes interested in Akira when he doesn't run, scream, or beg for his life like other participants. {{spoiler|On his route, [[Victim Falls For Rapist|this doesn't end well for Akira.]]}}
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== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]''
** Hudson, who was voiced by Asner, said the "I hate spunk" version once, as well. Asner said that while auditioning for the show, he knew he had the part as soon as he saw that the description included "Hates spunk."
** During a battle in Paris, Thailog grabs Angela by the back of her belt while commenting, "Well, aren't you spunky?"
* ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'': Taurus Bulba mentions how full of "spirit" Gosalyn is both times he captures her.
** Negaduck does the same thing in the episode "Darkwing Doubloon", only to say "[[ItsIt's XIX. I Hate X.|I hate that!]]" afterward (the second time, the Liquidator says it).
* ''[[Teen Titans (Animationanimation)|Teen Titans]]'': Adonis purrs at a pinned Raven, "You're feisty." She is not amused.
* ''[[Transformers]]''
** Arguably seen in the first episode of ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]'', where Rhinox finds Dinobot to have "[[Getting Crap Past the Radar|ball bearings of chrome steel]]."
** A more definitive example in "TransWarped" of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'', as Megatron fights Optimus. "You have persistence, Autobot. I hate persistence."
* ''[[Totally Spies!]]'' The video game-themed villain, Lady Dragon, says, "You girls have spunk. [[Shout -Out|I hate spunk]]!"
* In the [[Mirror Universe]] episode of ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'', Negative Number 3 says this to Number 4 in her [[We Can Rule Together]] speech: "Listen up, shorty! I don't like you, but you've got spunk, so I'm gonna make you an offer you'd be stupid to refuse!"
* Lobo does this to Lois Lane in ''[[Superman: theThe Animated Series]]''--since—since he's [[Nigh Invulnerable]], he in fact ''encourages'' her to slap him.
* ''[[Johnny Dangerously]]'':
{{quote| '''Johnny:''' You got spunk. I like spunk. ''(points at her breasts)'' You got those. I like those.}}
* In Disney's ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Animationanimation)|Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]'', a gangster mouse says this followed by "I hate spunk."
* ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'', "Two of a Kind": [[The Joker]] brings Dr. Harleen "Harley" Quinzel back to his lair, were she proposes writing a tell-all book. He responds, "You've got moxy! I feed moxy to the hyenas." He sics the hyenas on her, only to have her yell "SIT!", causing them to... well, sit.
* On ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'', the villain tells Zatanna, while holding her at knife point, "You are most ''engaging'', my dear -- beautiful, impetuous... I could be persuaded to spare you if ''properly implored''..." ''CRUNCH'' Cut to Zatanna's heel crushing his foot.
* ''[[Ben 10: Ultimate Alien]]'': When Captain Nemesis arrives to kidnap Julie, she (futilely) whacks him in the head with her tennis racket.
{{quote| '''Captain Nemesis:''' That's good. Fight back. I like that.}}
* Angelica from ''[[Rugrats]]'' was told she had spunk from a mafia-isque restaurant owner.
{{quote| '''Angelica:''' I got spunk? [[Is It Something You Eat?|Is that good?]]}}
* ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'': This is invoked by Eddy in the episode "They Call Him Mr. Ed" and by {{spoiler|his brother}} in [[The Movie]].
* One rhino in ''[[Babar]]'' had "You got spunk...[[ItsIt's XIX. I Hate X.|I hate spunk!]]" as his [[Catch Phrase]].
* ''[[My Life Asas a Teenage Robot]]'': In the episode "Puppet Bride" Little Acorn says about Jenny after falling in love with her and she attacks him "A women with spirit! I like that!"
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Stock Phrases]]
[[Category:You Got Spunk{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Trope]]
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