What characters do you think of when you hear badass? Here’s a list of those who come to my mind.
5. Katniss Everdeen
Katniss was one of the female characters who inspired me as a teenager. She is not your typical female character, she is ‘mean’ but likeable. The fact that Effie and Haymitch have to try so hard to make her appear as this lovable girl to the audiences of the capital was unique. She isn’t what you would expect from female protagonists of time gone by and she doesn’t adhere to feminine stereotypes.
Katniss is a bow toting, resting bitch face, master survivalist that starts a rebellion. I envied the bravery of this character as a teen and loved the things that made her different. She wasn’t a cutesy little girl, she was a tough tomboy.
4. Arya Stark
Arya Stark is dear to my heart because she is constantly faced with being the disappointing polar opposite of her sister, Sansa. Sansa is prim and proper, while Arya is like a wolf cub. Arya is wild and unkempt, she sword fights and chases cats. At one point Arya has to pose as a boy to save herself.
I also love Arya because of her internal strength and her ability to not care what she looks like. People constantly think Arya is a boy and it’s never more than a slight annoyance to her. Her hair is a ratty mess and her clothes are always dirty. Arya is so far from what you’d expect from a proper ‘lady’, that she steps into a different category than the rest of the women in Game of Thrones. I would argue that she is the strongest character in the series, her skill as a swordsman far outdoes the rest of the characters.
3. Minerva McGonagall
Where do I start? McGonagall is my favorite Hogwarts professor and one my all time favorite characters. She is an authority but also a kind caring woman. McGonagall is respected by her colleagues and doesn’t allow anyone to pull a fast one on her.
McGonagall takes multiple stunning spells straight to the chest and lives to tell the tale. She takes charge during the Battle of Hogwarts and is able to effectively orchestrate a defensive strategy involving the teachers and many creatures in the school.
McGonagall’s skill in transfiguration is effortless and she is an excellent dueler. I contribute a large part of the success of holding Voldemort at bay during the Battle of Hogwarts to her. She knows the right spells and which professors should do what, she has a strategists mind, and she does it all on the fly.
Not to mention she stays at Hogwarts after Snape takes over and it’s overrun by Death Eaters. She stays to make sure the students get what they need, at great risk to her life. I admire her bravery and intelligence.
2. Éowyn
Éowyn, the Shieldmaiden of Rohan, in The Lord Of The Rings is a really stand out character to me. She is the only woman to explicitly ride out to battle in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and she defeats the Witch King of Angmar.
The Witch King was chief of the Nazgûl, to put it simply, and a wraith that no man could kill. Luckily Éowyn was no man and killed the dreaded witch king with her badassery. She is a turning point for the battle ensuing and makes a huge difference. She rides to battle in secret because she could not stand to sit idly by while men battled for her freedom.
Éowyn takes it upon herself to do what other women in the trilogy aren’t and fights alongside our group of heroes. She is not only a keystone in the battle but a fierce warrior who will stop at nothing to be there with everyone else. She loves the people of Rohan, her home, and will do what it takes to save them from the armies of the evil Sauron.
I chose Éowyn as number two because she is such and unexpected hero for the time. Women were not respected as fighters when Tolkien wrote The Lord Of The Rings, but he chose to include her as an important hero in his story. To me that’s worth mentioning.
1. Hermione Granger
Hermione, my all-time favorite female character. She is the type of person I aspired to be as a child, and I tried to emulate her intelligence and bravery.
She comes from a muggle, non-wizarding, family, but she is the brightest wizard of their age. It takes a seriously smart and badass person to become a master of something they have zero background in. Her parents know nothing of magic, so she is on her own to master the subject. Her perseverance is something I have always admired.
Hermione overcomes racism (speciesism?), not sure what exactly to call it, but she overcomes the derogatory language and actions used against her by pure bloods and becomes an exemplary witch. She has a lot of obstacles and she approaches each one with grace and confidence.
Also, Hermione is described as not being the typical expectation of beauty. She has frizzy hair and buck teeth, she is not your typical cookie cutter female protagonist. She is a know-it-all with the heart of a lion. I adore her and think her character deserves all the praise it gets.
Who are your favorite females in fiction? Let me know in the comments!
Sav’s Review 