Women have always played important roles in our lives. They have inspired us, helped us, and been great role models. We have looked up to them, learned from them, and admired them, and that includes fictional women. We grew up watching tv shows and cartoons with incredible female characters, and now that we’re adults we can relate more to other badass women from many of our favorite shows. No matter how gory, violent, or tragic the show, there is always an awesome female lead or supportive character that has made an impact in our lives. Here are 10 badass female characters from some of my favorite shows:
1) Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones
Also known as Daenerys Stormborn, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, Mother of Dragons, and Khaleesi. Daenerys is strong, beautiful, and a fearless ruler. Having to face the world surrounded by enemies, she let her voice be heard and fought for what was fair. From freeing slaves to burning her enemies with her beautiful dragons, Daenerys has claimed the hearts of many Game of Thrones fans and has become a powerful female icon.
2) Michonne from The Walking Dead
Michonne is one of the finest warriors and nicest people The Walking Dead universe has. Not only does she fight with a katana like a samurai pro, she would also do anything to protect the people she loves. Michonne first appeared as a lone wolf type of character until she became one of the most important and popular ones. She is also in an interracial relationship with the show’s main character, Rick Grimes, setting a beautiful example for viewers. She is strong, kind, and proud of who she is, and that makes her extra badass.
3) Red from Orange is the New Black
Red is one of the fiercest ladies in Orange is the New Black. From taking care of the younger inmates, to cooking for the whole prison, Red behaves like the mother that a lot of young girls would have wanted to have. She protects the girls with her life and always tries to help them no matter what. Red is one of the funniest characters in the show and fighting for her rights while protecting the girls she comes to love as daughters makes her an excellent role model.
4) Eleven from Stranger Things
Even though her name is Jane Hopper now, we’ll always know this waffle-obsessed girl as Eleven. Since the show is somewhat targeted at a younger audience, Eleven makes a positive impact in the lives of young girls as she is strong, independent and badass. She has mind-blowing telekinetic powers and makes her own decisions, learning from her mistakes and becoming a better person.
5) Emma Duval from Scream
Emma Duval is one of the realest girls in this list. Scream doesn’t feature any magical creatures or super powers. It’s all about a normal high school girl who’s tormented by a demented killer. She had the perfect life until tragedy struck one day and tore everything apart. Emma was forced to see her closest friends getting gruesomely killed one by one and finding out truths about her life and herself that would have deeply affected a normal teenager. She was strong after many deaths, betrayals, and shocking revelations, and she proved that she didn’t need a hero to protect her, because she was more than capable of doing it herself.
6) Carol Peletier from The Walking Dead
Carol can go from being the sweet lady next door who bakes you cookies to an emotionless warrior who only cares about protecting her loved ones in only a few seconds. Carol had one of the best character developments in the show, as she went from abused wife to strong, independent warrior. Carol is one of the best role models because she suffered many types of abuse in her marriage, lost her daughter, and came to terms with the reality of the world she lived in all by herself. A lot of women in a similar situation could learn from her and demand the respect they deserve.
7) Mary Stuart from Reign
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots is beautiful, brave, tenacious, and strong willed. As a young queen in the fourteenth century, she had to compete against other rulers in a male-dominated society and protect herself and her country. She is a marvelous example for young girls and women who are told that they cannot do something because they are women and to girls that are not taken seriously simply because of that reason. Mary always stood up for what she believed in and never, ever, let anyone question her good decisions.
8) Penélope Álvarez from One Day at a Time
Penélope is also one of the realest women in this list. As a single mother of two teenagers and living with her loving but difficult mom, she is a great example of how strong women can be. She shows the world that women don’t need a man to raise a family and how to overcome other hardships. As Cuban-Americans, Penélope and her family face the constant racism that immigrants face in America, and she shows her children how to cope with it in a healthy way. She also goes through many internal struggles with her depression and PTSD, which many viewers can relate to, and in a difficult journey she realizes that there’s nothing wrong with taking medication for mental illness and that there’s nothing wrong with getting help. She shows us how being a good mother and taking care of our mental health among other things is really important, and that makes her one hell of a role model.
9) Arya Stark from Game of Thrones
Saving the best for last, Arya Stark of Winterfell is one of my favorite fictional girls. She’s incredibly strong and has gone through many horrible events including everything she held dear being taken away from her, but remained a kind, generous person. Many girls who don’t like to be labeled as feminine can totally relate to Arya. She not only broke gender roles in a medieval era, she also went from lady of Winterfell to skilled assassin. She’s kind to everyone regardless of social standing, and she loves her family with all her heart. Although most of her greatness comes from her combat skills, she is also a very good person with a warm heart and a great example for tough girls who don’t fit under the label of “girls must be ladies”; and specially those who don’t let anyone tell them how to live their lives.
10) Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2
Breaking the rules a little, I just couldn’t resist. There are many amazing women from tv shows who could’ve had this spot, but this woman deserves to be recognized in a week where all badass women, fictional or nonfictional, are being honored. Beatrix Kiddo, also known as Black Mamba or The Bride, is the protagonist of the famous movies Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2. She is a powerful assassin who seeks revenge after being betrayed. What makes her a great role model, besides her tremendously cool fighting skills, are her resilience and strength. After awakening from a coma, she discovers that her daughter is alive, and she moves heaven and earth to get to her and be the mother that she couldn’t be during all those years she had been gone. Beatrix Kiddo showed the world that no matter how dark your past is, there is always time to be a good parent and make things right. Also, she showed everyone how badass and powerful women are.