History Main / ArmedFemalesUnarmedMales

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': Team Sonic consists of three guys (Sonic, Tails and Knuckles) and [[TwoGirlsToATeam two girls]] (Amy and Sticks). Amy uses her signature [[DropTheHammer hammer]], while Sticks uses a variety of weapons including a staff, a club and a [[BattleBoomerang boomerang]]. Among the boys, only Tails uses weapons.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Amy Rose is the only female hedgehog in the games and the only one who regularly uses a weapon, namely her [[DropTheHammer Piko Piko hammer]]. The male hedgehogs [[SuperSpeed Sonic]], [[ComboPlatterPowers Shadow]] and [[MindOverMatter Silver]] don't use weapons, save for a [[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight few]] [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog games]].

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': NYPD Detective Kate Beckett is armed with a gun, the law, and her experiences as an experienced police officer. Richard Castle, a novelist, is armed with a considerable knowledge of criminal behavior due to his research for his books, a quick wit, and a sly sense of humor. And together they catch killers. Usually played very straight, such as in one episode where Castle encounters a hired gun trying to snipe Beckett, and proceeds to beat the guy unconscious with his bare hands. Zig-zagged, as in a few episodes, notably "Boom" and "A Deadly Affair" where Castle does get his hands on a gun...and shows that he's well-versed in them, as well.

** ''ComicBook/FreedomFightersDCComics'':

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The core team of Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza functions under this in early chapters. Natsu is a BareFistedMonk who [[PlayingWithFire attacks with fire]], and Gray has [[AnIcePerson ice powers]]; meanwhile, Lucy uses magical keys to [[SummonMagic summon spirits]] and [[WhipItGood keeps a whip on hand]], and Erza is a MagicKnight whose power revolves around summoning weapons and suits of armor from {{Hammerspace}}. This gets dropped with the team's inclusion of Wendy, a CombatMedic who uses [[BlowYouAway wind]] in the same style as Natsu's fire.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Before [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Nico Robin]] joined the crew, [[TwoGirlsToATeam Nami and Vivi were the only female Straw Hats]]. Both Nami and Vivi used weapons while their male crewmates, with the exception of [[MasterSwordsman Zoro]], fought unarmed. After Vivi left the crew to remain in her home country, Nico joined the Straw Hats as the sole female Devil Fruit user.

** ''ComicBook/XMen'': The Rasputin siblings Piotr, Illyana, and Mikhail qualify. Piotr has super strength and a metallic form, while Mikhail can manipulate matter and energy. While Illyana has her own mutant and magical abilities, she also wields a sword created from her own life energy.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The core team of Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza functions under this in early chapters. Natsu is a BareFistedMonk who [[PlayingWithFire attacks with fire]], and Gray has an ImaginationBasedSuperpower that involves [[AnIcePerson creating ice in any shape or form]]; meanwhile, Lucy uses magical keys to [[SummonMagic summon spirits]] and [[WhipItGood keeps a whip on hand]], and Erza is a MagicKnight whose power revolves around switching out different weapons from {{Hammerspace}}. This gets dropped with the team's inclusion of Wendy, a CombatMedic who uses [[BlowYouAway air and wind]] in the same style as Natsu's fire.

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': The male and female leads qualify. The eponymous Negi is a mage who initially relies on weapons but discards them after receiving training in martial arts. Asuna fights with swords, AntiMagic effects, and LightningBruiser abilities.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Before [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Nico Robin]] joined the crew, Nami and Vivi were the only female Straw Hats. Both Nami and Vivi used weapons while their male crewmates, with the exception of [[MasterSwordsman Zoro]], fought unarmed. After Vivi left the crew to remain in her home country, Nico joined the Straw Hats and balanced out Nami as the sole female Devil Fruit user.
* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': The male members of the Monster Association either fight unarmed or [[NaturalWeapon use weapons that are part of their bodies]]. On the other hand, all but one its female members use weapons:

** The sisters [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Reptera and Raptora]] use knives and a machete, respectively. They can also produce [[PoisonousPerson poison]].

*** The post-''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' version of the Freedom Fighters had three female members -- Phantom Lady, Red Bee and Miss America. Of those three only [[{{Transmutation}} Miss America]] has powers. Phantom Lady wore {{Super Wrist Gadget}}s, and Red Bee wore PoweredArmor and [[AttackDrone used two robotic bees for battle]].
** ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'': The main {{Flying Brick}}s are ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/MartianManhunter and ComicBook/WonderWoman. The former two have a [[ComboPlatterPowers vast array of powers]] and don't use weapons. Wonder Woman, while still similarly powerful, has a relatively limited powerset and makes use of weapons in battle, namely her atom-shaving sword and magic lasso. Diana is also a hero based on Greek mythology which often had heroes who used enchanted weapons and items.

** ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'': Dagger, the female of the pairing, is able to create "daggers" of light that can achieve a variety of effects, from outright killing truly wicked people due to the shock to their system, to purging drugs and addiction from those merely led astray. Cloak, the male of the team, by comparison, is a living shadow, his "body" beneath his signature cloak a portal to another realm, one that will freeze the soul of anyone unfortunate enough to enter without the protection of Dagger's light.

** Issue #8 has Sonic teaming up with Silver the Hedgehog and [[CanonForeigner Whisper the Wolf]]. Sonic and Silver are both male and possess SuperSpeed and {{Telekinesis}}, respectively. Whisper uses a [[SwissArmyWeapon Wisp-powered rifle]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'': Kitana and Sonya both use weapons and are the only female kombatants in the movie. With the exception of Scorpion and Kano, all the men fight unarmed.

* ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': In the film's climax, Spock and Uhura engage Khan in battle. Uhura is armed with a [[RayGun phaser]] while Spock takes Khan in melee combat due to being the only one who can physically contend with {{Transhuman}} villain.

* ''Film/TheWolverine'': Logan mostly fights using his SuperStrength and claws, only using a sword only a few times. While Yukio is a {{Mutant}} [[AdaptationSpeciesChange in this continuity]], she mainly relies on a sword since her ability to [[{{Seers}} see other people's deaths]] doesn't have any use in battle.

** This applied to male and female ninjas in the first three games. While all three female ninjas (Kitana, Mileena, and Jade) used weapons within their movesets. With the exception of [[BladeOnARope Scorpion and Smoke's human incarnation]] in ''Mortal Kombat II'', the male ninjas fought unarmed.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': The original teams consists of five men and [[TwoGirlsToATeam two women]]. Both of the women used weapons in tandem with their powers while only two out of the five men relied on weapons.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': Callum is a male [[SquishyWizard mage]] who eventually learns to cast spells bare-handed, while Rayla is a girl who fights with [[DualWielding dual swords]].

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': NYPD Detective Kate Beckett is armed with a gun, the law, and her experiences as an experienced police officer. Richard Castle, a novelist, is armed with a considerable knowledge of criminal behavior due to his research for his books, a quick wit, and a sly sense of humor. And together [[TheyFightCrime they catch killers.]] Usually played very straight, such as in one episode where Castle encounters a hired gun trying to snipe Beckett, and proceeds to beat the guy unconscious with his bare hands. Zig-zagged, as in a few episodes, notably "Boom" and "A Deadly Affair" where Castle does get his hands on a gun...and shows that he's well-versed in them, as well.

* ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': In the film's climax, Spock and Uhura engage [[spoiler:Khan]] in battle. Uhura is armed with a [[RayGun phaser]] while Spock takes Khan in melee combat due to being the only one who can physically contend with {{Transhuman}} villain.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_wonder_woman_2013_001_000.jpg]]

This trope is what happens when female characters have to rely on weapons while their male counterparts do not.

* ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheDarkRevival'': Inverted. [[VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine Henry Stein]] must rely on weapons such as axes, pipes, and [[spoiler:even a scythe]] to defend himself from the monstrous denizens of the Sketch Dimension. Meanwhile, [[ContrastingSequelProtagonist Audrey]] has the ability to instantly kill any ink creature with one touch of her glowing hands, making weapons irrelevant.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': [[TwoGirlsToATeam Amy and Sticks]] use a [[DropTheHammer hammer]] and [[BattleBoomerang boomerang]] respectively. Among the boys -- Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails -- only Tails uses weapons.

* ''Series/AceLightning'': This applies to the Lightning Knights who are TwoGuysAndAGirl. [[{{Cyborg}} Random Virus's]] only weapons are his PowerPincers, SuperStrength and limited {{Technopathy}}, while Ace very rarely uses his lance and shield, relying mainly on his strength, speed, flight and lightning bolts. Sparx, on the other hand, can only fight when she has her sword.

* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': The male members of the Monster Association either fight unarmed or [[NaturalWeapon use weapons that are part of their bodies]]. This is not the case for five out of its six female members who use weapons:

** ''ComicBook/XMen'': The Rasputin siblings Piotr, Illyana, and Mikhail. Piotr has super strength and a metallic form, while Mikhail can manipulate matter and energy. While Illyana has her own mutant and magical abilities, she also wields a sword created from her own life energy.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': Callum is a male [[SquishyWizard Mage]] who eventually learns to cast spells bare-handed, while Rayla is a girl who fights with [[DualWielding dual swords]].

* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': All four of the main heroes have some training in weapon use. However, Nobara, the sole female character among them, is the only one specifically needs weapons to use her Cursed Techniques.

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': The male and female leads qualify. The eponymous Negi is a mage who initially relies on weapons but discards them after receiving training in martial arts. Asuna fights with swords, AntiMagic effects and LightningBruiser abilities.

** ''ComicBook/HeroesForHire'': The 2006 line up is a GenderEqualEnsemble of four men and four women.

*** On the men's side we have Shang Chi whose martial arts skills allow him to defeat superhuman enemies, Humbug who can control insects, the superstrong Atlantean Orka and Paladin who is the only one of the guys who uses weapons.
** ''ComicBook/ShangChi'': Shang Chi usually fights unarmed and is capable of even [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower besting superhuman foes without the use of weapons]]. His love interest Leiko Wu is more within the ball park of what a normal human is capable of and uses guns in addition to hand-to-hand combat.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'': The Rasputin siblings Piotr, Illyana and Mikhail. Piotr has super strength and a metallic form, while Mikhail can manipulate matter and energy. While Illyana has her own mutant and magical abilities, she also wields a sword created from her own life energy.

** Like in the games (see below in the video games section), Amy fights with a hammer, while Sonic, Shadow and Silver have powers that don't require them to use weapons.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': NYPD Detective Kate Beckett is armed with a gun, the law, and her experiences as an experienced police officer. Richard Castle, novelist, is armed with a considerable knowledge of criminal behavior due to his research for his books, a quick wit, and a sly sense of humor. And together [[TheyFightCrime they catch killers.]] Usually played very straight, such as in one episode where Castle encounters a hired gun trying to snipe Beckett, and proceeds to beat the guy unconscious with his bare hands. Zig-zagged, as in a few episodes, notably "Boom" and "A Deadly Affair" where Castle does get his hands on a gun...and shows that he's well-versed in them, as well.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor generally avoids guns, or any weapons (unless you count his/her Sonic Screwdirver) across incarnations, using his/her wits to solve conflicts. [[note]] They have a particularly strong stance against guns in the revival series, due to the character going through a war offscreen. [[/note]] In some instances, his female companions take up arms instead:

-->'''Doctor:''' Oh, and this is my friend, River. Nice hair. Clever. Has her own gun. And unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that. Kinda do, a bit.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': [[TwoGirlsToATeam Amy and Sticks]] use a [[DropTheHammer hammer]] and [[BattleBoomerang boomerang]] respectively. Among the boys -- Sonic, Knuckles and Tails -- only Tails uses weapons.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': [[WestCoastTeam The Titans East]] consist of Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, and the twins Más y Menos. Bumblebee is the only girl among them and uses a pair of electric dartguns called "stingers". Among the boys, only [[TheStraightAndArrowPath Speedy]] uses a weapon.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor generally avoids guns, or any weapons (unless you count his/her Sonic Screwdirver) across his incarnations, using his/her wits to solve conflicts. [[note]] They have a particularly strong stance against guns in the revival series, due to the character going through a war offscreen. [[/note]] In some instances, his female companions take up arms instead:

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor generally avoids guns, or any weapons (unless you count his Sonic Screwdirver) across his incarnations, using his wits to solve conflicts. [[note]] They have a particularly strong stance against guns in the revival series, due to the character going through a war offscreen. [[/note]] while his female companions sometimes take up arms instead:

** In "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End", Rose Tyler shows up from another dimension with a {{BFG}} (though she is neither the main or only companion for the story).

*** The post-''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' version of the Freedom Fighters had three female members - Phantom Lady, Red Bee and Miss America. Of those three only [[{{Transmutation}} Miss America]] has powers. Phantom Lady wore {{Super Wrist Gadget}}s, and Red Bee wore PoweredArmor and [[AttackDrone used two robotic bees for battle]].

* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': All four of the main heroes have some training in weapon use. However, Nobara, the sole female character among them, is the only one whose Cursed Techniques rely on a weapon and magic item.