10 Strong Fictional Female Characters in Books and TV

There is an endless list of strong female characters in books, movies, and TV. They are so strong, they baffle us time and again with their actions and sturdy exterior. However, in this blog, I’m only going to be mentioning my favorites, my top 10. They are, of course, fictional characters, but they are women that have inspired us all and made our jaws drop at times. Without further ado, here are 10 strong female characters in books, TV, and on the big screen:

Abbie Mills from Sleepy Hollow

Many readers are familiar with Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy

Hollow, a great tale (short story) that was adapted on the big screen in 1999 starring Johnny Depp. Nowadays, Sleepy Hollow is a TV show inspired by the original story. The show follows the intertwined paths of Ichabod Crane (a man from the 18th century) and Abbie Mills (a cop), who are witnesses and fighters against evil. The reason I am including Abbie Mills on this list is mainly because I believe she sacrifices herself multiple times for the sake of stopping evil and saving her friends and family. Recently, she was seen diving into the opening of a mystical and ancient tree in order to save her sister’s life. Her big action carried her to another dimension where she was all by herself for many months.

Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

We all know about Katniss Everdeen. She is a truly strong female character from The Hunger Games, which was a big sensation both as a book series and a film series. Obviously, Katniss is on this list because she took her sister’s place in the deadly games and still managed to survive using her clever mind and sharp hunting skills.

Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy is my all-time favorite character. Lots of people adore Buffy because of her witty comebacks and badassery, particularly when it comes to her jaw-dropping martial art skills. She is a small person, and yet she is pretty impressive. She gets kicked down by vampires and life, but she always gets back up. She also sacrifices her life several times to save the world, much like Abbie Mills from Sleepy Hollow. And yes, Buffy dies multiple times and always makes her way back to this world. Buffy even reminds me of the female character in the novel I am currently writing. While I never based my character off Buffy, watching the series again recently has truly inspired the creation of the all-powerful Addy in my book. Much like Buffy, Addy (short for Adelaide) is strong-willed and tough all the while preserving her femininity. And even though she faces terrible evil, she maintains control and fights hard without showing any weakness.

The Charmed Ones (Prue, Paige, Phoebe, Piper) from Charmed

I grew up watching the charmed sisters kick evil in the derriere. Each one of them is a powerful, independent woman. Throughout the series, these four witches symbolize the strength that all women have within them. Prue, Paige, Phoebe, and Piper are attractive, accomplished, smart women with supernatural powers and a big heart. They fight for one another and for the people they love, and they even sacrifice having a normal personal life for the safety of the world.

Chiyo in Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Chiyo is a fictional character. However, her life is based on historical events in Japan before and during World War II. Although Chiyo holds no supernatural powers and is an ordinary girl, she is a strong female character. For those who haven’t read the book or seen the movie, Chiyo is sold by her father at a young age. Away from her family, she has to learn fast the ways of the geishas in order to stop being the house maid and rise in status. With determination, Chiyo succeeds and becomes one of Japan’s greatest geishas. And once the war strikes, she still triumphs and learns to survive once more. Memoirs of a Geisha is a coming of age story but also a story about strength. Though Chiyo suffers a lot, she blossoms in the end.

Tally Youngblood in Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In a world where everyone gets converted from an ugly to a pretty once they become 16 years old, Tally Youngblood (15 years old) is one of the few who rebel upon realizing that becoming a pretty is more than just changing their looks; it’s about sacrificing their freedom of mind. Once a pretty, they look and think the way society deems acceptable, and so Tally, along with a few other uglies, goes against everything she’s been taught and awaiting her life. Her resistance against the brainwashing of society is what makes her a strong female character.

Trinity in The Matrix

The Matrix trilogy is one of those movies where you learn that nothing is as it seems. Trinity escaped the Matrix a long while back, and while she is only a sort of sidekick to Neo, the main character and hero, her strength and influence is grand. Not only is she a computer programmer, but she is also highly skilled in martial arts, proving that women can do it all.

 

What do you think of these amazing strong female characters? Do you have any other fictional women that you think top this list? Let me know in the comments!

 

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