Top 5 Video Game Heroines That Kick Butt!

This article was written by community contributor Karen Ragenroll!

Women in video games are often over-sexualized and put down as damsels in distress waiting for a man to help them and save them from whichever evil that befalls them. However, game creators have also enchanted us with some of the finest heroines in the world. These are strong, fearful and beautiful femmes that will stun you with their charming silhouettes… and fists!

I’ve seen lots of faces and characters (playing since you were kid helps, too) and I truly, undeniably believe that the following girls are the TOP 5 HEROINES THAT WILL KICK YOUR BUTT and still look good!

5. Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix)

Originally named Claire Farron, she changed her name as an act of becoming an adult. Her father died when she was little and then her mother died when she was fifteen years old, leaving our protagonist and her sister Serah completely alone.

Assuming the responsibilities of both parents, she joined the Guardian Corps Bodhum Security Regiment where she later became a sergeant. The adult life took a toll on Lightning’s life and our heroine turned distant and somber, stretching the gap between her and her sister. She’s seen as a serious and strong woman that fights for her loved ones without even thinking about it.

Lightning possesses a weapon that changes from sword to pistol in an instant and she’s highly aware of her surroundings, making it really hard to surprise her. Being the second female protagonist of the Final Fantasy saga, she became enormously accepted by the fandom and very popular in Japan.

4. Chun Li from Street Fighter (CAPCOM)

Born Chinese and raised to be a kicking machine, she became a detective after the kidnapping of her father, the one that trained her. This thick-legged brunette was the first female character appearing in a 1Vs1 fighting-style video game. The pioneer made her debut in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior in my year of birth (1991), so, we have the same age!

She is strong without sacrificing speed. Well-known for her undeniable kicking skills and her powerful legs, she mastered the famous Hyakuretsukyaku (or Lightning Kick) which consists in kicking the opponent an infinity of times (therefore the “lightning” part). Chun Li is a character fun to play and she carved herself a spot in a lot of young hearts that played in the arcades around the 90s.

3. Jill Valentine from Resident Evil (CAPCOM)

Born in the USA with a French father and a Japanese mother, she’s the second playable character of the Resident Evil Saga, having her first appearance in RE: Revelations. She was part of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team (with captain Wesker), working with the Raccoon City Police. She later became a Special Operations Agent and she joined the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance.

This wonderful resume is not the only thing impressive about this heroine. Having her nerves of steel and elite skills, she has nothing to envy from her male colleagues. Jill is a resourceful character with lock-picking, bomb disarming, martial arts and shooting skills. Jill won’t stop at anything, not even the dead. She’s definitely a loyal, beautiful and ingenious friend that completely deserves a spot on this top 5.

2. Lara Croft from Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix)

Known as the “most successful human heroine of video games” Lara Croft is, without any doubt, one of the most loved characters in history. Inspired by Indiana Jones, Lara is presented as an English archaeologist who belongs to the aristocracy, constantly traveling, doing expeditions, making discoveries and defeating many enemies in the way. She even had to fight dinosaurs – how much crazier can it get?

This intrepid and gorgeous woman features many skills like archery, athletics, gymnastics and a passion for extreme sports (more extreme than chasing bad guys and raiding tombs?) Despite her strong and adventurous personality, she shows splendorous manners that fit a high-class lady.

Something curious about the Tomb Raider is that she actually was supposed to be a male similar to Indiana, but this idea was rejected as the guys of Core Design decided to go with an English woman given that many players preferred to choose female characters in a game called Virtua Fighter.

Lara Croft definitely revolutionizes video games with a strong character and an extremely successful saga that has been running since 1996.

1. Samus Aran from Metroid (Nintendo)

The star of the Metroid series is Samus, an intergalactic bounty hunter with curves that could stop traffic. But wait! Players that enjoyed Metroid back in 1986 had to end the game in less than one hour to uncover a major surprise: the protagonist and the person that wore the suit wasn’t a dude as they thought! It was a beautiful girl (at least for the standards of the NES) that saved the world.

She was born in the colony K-2L but after losing both parents (and everyone else she knew) to a Space Pirate raid, she was adopted by a group of aliens known as Chozo. Then she went to live in Zebes where she was infused with alien DNA and trained to become a powerful weapon.

Armed with her Power Suit, she later joined the Federation Police and after that, she became the bounty hunter we know. The suit has many features as turning her arm into a cannon and the ability to transform into a sphere known as Morph Ball, giving her the chance to enter small tunnels or openings.

Since the late 80’s and until now, she’s still an example of the power that a single woman can have (even when that means being enhanced genetically).

Closing the top

From martial arts to piercing armors and bodies, these wonderful ladies will surely kick your butt if you dare  to go against the laws of the good citizens. No matter if you’re a human, an alien, a yakuza or even a zombie – they’ll hurt you.

Sincerely, as a gamer girl (and I know it’s a harsh world), I’m really glad that we have female figures that set an example and show the world how we can be strong, independent and resourceful. It’s silly because people are brought to life by women and they’re still underestimated.

I can only think of Reese Witherspoon when she asked: “do you know a woman in any crisis situation who has absolutely no idea what to do?” I congratulate the developers for giving us these amazing heroines that keep on proving (as there are more and more female protagonists) that girls hit hard!

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