I hope this is in the right section.

So many people complain that many movies, book, and video games don't have strong female characters. Or people get the idea that a female character can only be considered strong if she is like Laura Croft.

So what do you think makes a strong female character? Do they have to be fighters? Can they be healers/doctors? Can they be there for support? If they get captured and have to be saved does that mean they are weak? Should they be realistically proportioned if they are fighters? (meaning tall, big muscles, not cute and petite)

I think a lot of the problems with female characters is that they are made in extremes: either too powerful or too weak (and the many characteristics that come with that), making them unbelievable.

A string female for me would be someone who understand their abilities and limitations and acts accordingly to the situation.

I like this topic Rinchan. I do agree with Desi that many times female characters are portrayed with one extreme or another which I do not like either.

For me my most favorite female heroines are the ones who defy the odds but still show compassion and their faults, but in the end they perservere over whatever obstacle they are facing. Three examples I like to use are the following characters.
Aeris(FFVII)
Princess Leia (Original Star Wars Trilogy)
Eowyn(Lord of the Rings)

All of these women were in very dark situations, but they chose to fight the evil around them yet never acted perfect but were always strong for those around them. These are characters I would like to be like if ever I was in any kind of terrible situation.

Though the situations for this female character were not quite as dire I also think Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice is another excellent example of all the characteristics needed to be a strong female. She spoke up and defied society sometimes but she still tried to be cordial and admitted her mistakes.

Okay so i guess I should try to list some of the main qualities about these woman to truly answer the question yes?

They face adversity head on
They fight for what they believe in or for a better world
They don't always have extrordinary powers but they do extrordinary things
They still possess femininity
They put the needs of others before themselves

Okay I have to go for now and I have probably have said enough anyway :blush: but those are some of my thoughts on the subject. May add more later :whistle:

Very good Desi and Aerisbolt.

Yeah, I noticed that so many people are very hard on female fictional characters. Either they are accused of being a Mary sue, a damsel in distress, a bitch, a whore, or anyother negative adj they can come up with. And the male characters can basically be any of the words described and no one cares. I can honestly I've never seen a fictional male character being accused of being a Gary-stu and many of them are more of that than the female characters in the same series are Mary sues.

People tend to forget that Stus and Sues are Original characters made by the fans.

I defiantly disagree with calling Lara Croft "strong". "Sex Icon" is what I'd use. A female doesn't have to be a strong physical fighter to be a strong person. I think that Aeris is one of the strongest examples ever, and she was a mage ostensibly.
Like Aerisbolt said, I admire the females that never give up, no matter what their situation may be. I really enjoy the "girl next door" characters, because they tend to actually be stronger than the heroines. The girl next door's have strength of character, rather than fantastical powers and l337 butt kicking moves, which I value much higher.
I think true strength comes from strength of character, rather than arms :P

I always considered Aerith to be a wonderful heroine because without being "sexy" or "kickass" she manages to have a huge fanbase just because she's a great character.

I consider 'strong female characters' as emotionally strong and never giving up, even knowing their limits and flaws. It took courage to admit your flaws and accept them, and not deluding yourself.

I've noticed that too. Not to stereotype, but I've also noticed that it's mainly females who bash female characters. I wonder how much of that is because most of the fandoms I end up in are dominated by females, and how much of it is the saying (that women are their own worst enemies) coming true. It might also have to do with many of those fandoms having a big yaoi side...

I can completely agree if someone dislikes a character for whatever reason, but I kinda wonder about the fangirls who are antagonistic towards any female character.

But perhaps the female fans are simply more vocal about their dislike than male fans.

It seriously makes me think they get away with it purely by being men. Good-looking, bishie men in a fandom of girls. So a soft-spoken guy who cooks is considered a "sweetheart", but a soft-spoken girl who cooks is labeled a "doormat/domesticated/spineless". :rolleyes:

That said...

I agree. Authors seem to gravitated towards making a female character have to fill a particular "role". The example that jumps to mind is El Hazard: The Magnificent World. I can't remember if this was a second movie or what, but the two love interests were each so obviously filling the "quiet/demure" and "hothead/inner softie" roles respectively, it was ridiculous. I took one look at their colour schemes, made a guess and was spot on.

For series in which the main characters are male, I think they receive greater attention in terms of development, depth of character etc. The female characters are then made as foils to those males, particularly the love interest; it shows and becomes a turn-off.

I found this a pretty tough question, actually. I'd put an answer together, then got the distinct feeling I was writing a Dummies Guide to Non-Mary Sues, and deleted the thing.

Could be because I'd just come from a thread trying to do just that-- telling an author even before the fic was written how to avoid writing a Mary Sue-- it gave me this annoying image of someone holding a checklist and saying, "Do NOT do this, this, this, this and... oh, this." The character is conforming to the "rules", becoming so un-Mary Sueish that it's annoying in itself... or something.

So forgive this vague answer. :lol: For me, a "strong" female character is one who makes me sit up, go wow, take note of her. I don't care if she's the enemy or the hero. She doesn't even have to be the main character. Riza Hawkeye from Full Metal Alchemist is a prime example-- she's not the main character, but homg she roxx0rz my socks like nobody's business when I watched her in action.

The rest-- whether she's a white mage type or a martial artist, a mother or a teenager, single or married-- the rest are mere details.

Nice topic over here..
Finally someone makes refrence to this fact that for a female charactor to be strong, she doesn't have to be a "sex icon" and she doesn't have to be jacked out strong.

For me a female charactor to be strong, should be able to fight and defend her self, but to some limitations, have good will, and a strong personality. Obviously if a girl gets captured and needs saving it is becuase she is over-powered...and that does not make her weak. Besides who doesnt love a little Night in shining armor ordeal?

Personally most female charactors in anime's and games are mostly beards.
(a adjective reffering to anime females becuase they are irritating,annoying,and dont go away)...Perfect example of this would be Kagome from InuYasha.Who cannot defend herself giving anime females a bad name.

I hate it how people tend to think that if a female charactor can defend herself,than she is a bitch.

Perfect example would be Sango from InuYasha,she is not weak or defenseless and she has both a strong personality, enough to support herself, her lover, and her freinds..

But becuase of her lack of weakness, people tend to see her as a bitch with an attitude..Which no doubt pisses me off.

I totally agree with you Lynn..i LOVE Riza Hawkeye, which is another perfect example of strong female charactors in anime. She is both strong willed and a very,in my opinion, a powerful charator.

I am also quite fond of Winry Rockbell from Full Metal Alchemist.
who also is quite an astounding female charactor.

Aerith and Yuffie from FFVII, Elly from Xenogears, Ashe and Fran from FFXII...

They had their problems, but it won't drag them down, and will fight against it even, without having to rely for a man with their life decisions (of course anti Aerith fans would say what they want, but Aerith goes what SHE wanted, not because she's gonna score points with Cloud).

Anywhos...

I agree with Lynn, it doesn't matter if said woman appears in one episode, supporting, main or antagonist. I'll woot for Katara and Toph in Avatar, but I'll also support Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, because those three kicked bootie and took their job seriously. I like Izumi from FMA, but I also love Lust to pieces. Laxrene, Jadis the White Witch and Rosso the Crimson fall in this category of me liking them as strong females, even though they're just crazy psychopaths.

EDIT: Extreme female characters works with me as well. I really like Arwen, despite her limited role in the books, but I also like Motoko Kusanagi's gun-totting tough as nails ways.

Slightly OT: Agreed! There are many animes, series, and stories which give the protagonist a great backstory and character development but neglect to do the same for their love interest. S/he's just... there.

A strong female character for me is one who is mature about her decisions and conducts herself as such; or grows believably into maturity by learning from her mistakes and experiences. An example of the latter is Sansa from George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, who starts out as the starry-eyed damsel but gradually changes as she is exposed to the realities of the world.

She isn't afraid to voice out her opinions when needed and is dynamic. By dynamic I mean not stuck in a particular role or just waiting, rather finding out what needs to be done and helping do it in whatever way she can, by facing troubles and problems head on and coping with them however she can.