In a world that is so wrapped up in pop culture, it’s not hard to find characters in fiction and non-fiction that are down right kick-ass. But honestly, I’m kind of bored seeing secret agent/cop drives cars and blows stuff up while being funny over and over again across many platforms. It’s been a long time coming but women taking larger roles in multiple forms of fiction is gaining ground with more and more female protagonists taking the spotlight. So I asked myself, “Who are the most kick-ass?”
Unfortunately, I’m indecisive and frankly insecure about my opinions. So I asked around and polled people I associate with to see what female characters would get the most votes and proceeded to rank them from there.
Oh, by the way, spoiler warning for some TV shows and movies included in this list.
#10 – Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)
In the hit book, movies, and musical “Legally Blonde” Elle Woods enrolls at Harvard University to study law in order to prove to her boyfriend that she isn’t “too blonde” to be married to. Throughout her journey, she proves that she has a knack for judiciary practice and counters the stereotypes about what it means to be blonde and gender norms set about women in the field of law.
#9 – Leia Organa (Star Wars)
Princess, rebel, general. All these titles are on Leia’s resume and she damn well deserves them. A part of the original trio from the first Star Wars trilogy, she set a standard that a woman can break past being a typical damsel in distress and become her own kick-ass hero way back in 1977. As she blasted Storm Troopers and became the leader of a space armada, she proved she was definitely the most competent out of her, Luke, and Han Solo. Not to mention, she was the first woman to rock the side-bun hairstyle.
#8 – Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
Katniss Everdeen, The Girl on Fire. In the early 2010’s she became a household name across America. After volunteering in place of her sister for The Hunger Games, she went on to win alongside her District partner, Peeta by playing the Capitol with a false love story. As the trilogy progressed, she would eventually stick it to the man by becoming The Mockingjay, a figurehead for the revolution against the corrupt government.
#7 – Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)
Arya Stark definitely deserves a spot on this list. From the start of the series, she is most evidently the most capable member of her entire family. After watching her father die she joins The Faceless Men, a shadow organization of shapeshifters and avenges the death of her brother and mother by killing off an entire enemy bloodline. Despite what you may think about the final season, you can’t argue that Arya had an incredible moment in the end when she kills (arguably) the main villain, the Night King.
#6 – Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
It seems to be a common trend on this list where the one woman of a group is the most competent member. Hermione Granger is no exception. Aside from possessing the only brain cells in the trio, in the second book she saves Hogwarts while petrified in the infirmary by having all the information Ron and Harry need on a sheet of paper balled up in her hand. Towards the end of the series, she’s the one who figures out how to destroy the Horcruxes to kill Lord Voldemort.
#5 – Moana (Moana)
In 2016, Moana hit theaters and took us on her journey to bring back the Heart of Te Fiti and stop the encroaching darkness from destroying her island home. Accompanied by her lovable idiot chicken and demigod Maui, she sets sail and kicks the ass of coconut goblins, a giant crab, and calming the wrath of an angry god. In the end, she stows the fears of her father and the rest of her island and encourages them to resume the old tradition of voyaging from island to island. Which, in turn, saves her people from running out of food.
#4 – Black Widow (Marvel Comics)
These days, superheroes are more popular than they ever have been. Among the ranks of these costumed heroes are many women who are super-powerful. However, Natasha Romanoff kicks ass alongside a super soldier and a literal god without needing any superpowers. All she needs is her wit, master tactician skills, and peak human strength and agility. Russian spy turned Avenger, she’s fought for the protection of Earth and the Universe, time and time again. Now, if you’re more familiar with the movies then you know for a fact that without her, the Avengers couldn’t have brought everyone back at the end of Avengers Endgame.
#3 – Samus Aran (Metroid)
Samus Aran is a bounty hunter from outer space. Throughout the Metroid series, Samus travels through the stars hunting down renegade space pirates, hivemind alien parasites, and interstellar dragons. Equipped with many different power suits that let her shoot lasers, roll into a ball, and more gimmicks than I can count, she kicks ass across the cosmos. Her most famous enemy, the space pirate/dragon Ridley, blew up her home planet and killed her parents and did she lollygag and sulka round? No, she went out and kicked his ass time and time again.
#2 – Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
As mentioned before, we live in an age where superheroes are all over the place. One of the female forerunners is Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel. Test pilot and intergalactic space protector, Carol can shoot energy blasts, fly at supersonic speeds, and tap into the cosmic energy of the universe to give herself a boost whenever. Earlier this year her movie hit theaters and she also joined the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame to kick Thanos’ ass. She literally got headbutted by Thanos and didn’t flinch. She even got punched by the Power Stone (which is capable of destroying planets) and tanked it like a champ.
#1 – Wonder Woman (DC Comics)
Personally, it comes as no surprise to me that Wonder Woman made it to the top of this list. She definitely got the ball rolling for all fictional women all the way back in 1942. Diana Prince has been kicking ass alongside the likes of Superman, Batman, and the rest of the Justice League. Constant reboots have changed her origin story here and there but one thing remains the same. She’s the leading fictitious woman powerhouse. In comics, TV shows, movies, and even video games, Wonder Woman has been there to kick ass and take names for almost 80 years now.
Through all of this polling I was able to see which fictional women the people around me thought were the most empowering. I was able to learn new things about characters I knew along with discovering some pretty kick-ass ladies. It was great to see this female representation have such an impact across many platforms and forms of media. It was also very refreshing to see how in modern times, this representation is only growing more and more and I look forward to seeing what other fictitious females become contenders for this list.
Photo credits to: starwars.com, thepineneedle.com, adventuresinpoortaste.com, cinemablend.com, theverge.com, screenrant.com, neogaf.com, filmschoolrejects.com, and wordpress.com