History Main / DarkActionGirl

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsEmmaFrost Emma Frost in her introduction during the ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'' was very much this. She was introduced as an EvilCounterpart to [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] and had pretty much no redeeming qualities as she worked for the Hellfire Club and had no qualms torturing her fellow Mutants. After Jean beat her, Emma continued being a villain possessing Storm, clashing with the ComicBook/NewMutants and made an alliance with [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]]. It wasn't until ''The Phalanx Covenant'' and ''ComicBook/GenerationX'' that Emma decided to turn over a new leaf and be a more righteous character and like Rogue eventually joined the X-Men, though she still remains a very unpleasant person to be around. She can easily switch back to Dark Action Girl though as seen in ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'' or when she joins the Cabal.

** ''ComicBook/SheHulk'': [[Characters/SheHulkEnemies Titania]] has similar degrees of superhuman strength and endurance as She-Hulk. She has since [[TookALevelInKindness turned over a new leaf]] in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' along with her husband Crusher Creel.

!!Examples:

* DarkActionGirl/Literature

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Rachel begins as an ActionGirl but gets closer and closer to this trope as the series goes on. [[TortureTechnician Taylor]] could be seen as an actual villainous example, though she generally avoids using her unique fighting skills in favor of psychological manipulation.
* ''Literature/AngelOfDeath'': Pretty Pink Ponytails is a highly skilled, sadistic, and unstable fighter. [[spoiler:Thus far, she's the only human to survive direct combat with Cody, and the only reason she didn't win is because he, who has super strength and speed and the ability to fire bursts of magical energy from his hand, called the police on a mortal.]]
%%* ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin'': Protagonist example who is still "Dark": Lale.
* ''Literature/TheBladeOfTheFlame'': Makala both before her in-backstory death and after she [[spoiler:gets bitten by a vampire]]. Exhibits ClingyJealousGirl traits after the spoilered event too.
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': Wedgie Woman is one of, if not ''the'' most badass villain. Jennifer the Alien and Trixie the Robo-Booger are also pretty tough, and they are implied, but not explicitly stated, to be female.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': Joslyn saves Tasia from a skilled assassin who it turns out is a woman, Ty'Tsana, and nearly equals her skills. It turns out she's from the Order of Taghren, who are all-female witch assassins working against an unknown enemy.
* ''Literature/{{Codebook of the Cosmos}}'': Pernica the Swift faces as many as four street robbers in a row with a double set of knives, and wins. In ''The Dominion Device'', she even confronts a hall full of Germanic warriors. With a drinking horn. And earns their respect by giving black eyes to a couple of them.
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': Phrygiar Navaris is a psychotically obsessive swordswoman and one of the top five blades in her civilization--she normally hires herself out as a mercenary and has racked up a kill count ''in the hundreds'' during her life (and those are just the ones we know about). Aquitainus Invidia from the same series is more like TheVamp, TheChessmaster, and a traitor all in one person, but she's more than capable of getting her hands dirty if she has to.
* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': In centuries past Amarantha was one of the King of Hybern's top generals and fought in the war against the humans. These days she's more of an OrcusOnHisThrone type and conquered Prythian through guile rather than force, though she's plotting to invade the human realms soon.
* ''Literature/DarkHeart'': Wyre is a gleefully sadistic assassin who volunteers her service as a bodyguard to the heroes Myrren and Raine. Later on, Myrren [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] and becomes one as well [[spoiler:in order to fight Wyre when she realizes her real intentions]].
* ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'': Kitiara is beautiful, a skilled warrior and, above all else, she is cold and calculating. Power-hungry, she has never been truly able to call someone a friend. In many ways, she and Raistlin are much alike. Neither would hesitate to betray an ally if presented with a guarantee at supreme power.
* ''Literature/TheDraka'': {{Exaggerated}}. The eponymous, [[TheSpartanWay ultra-militarist]] Draka state conscripts all citizen women and have them perform military service just like men, and even their Air Force pilots consistently beat the male infantry veterans and special forces operatives of the United States in hand-to-hand combat thanks to their [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower uber training]]. In other words, every other random {{Mook|s}} is one of these. One book even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s how improbable this is, given their inherent handicap in size, reach and physical strength.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Lara Raith alternates between being Harry's FriendlyEnemy and a reluctant ally. Being a [[SuccubiAndIncubi White Court vampire]], she is superhumanly strong, fast, and durable, but still needs to feed on the life energy of humans.
* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': Queen Rielle is ''the'' most powerful elemental in existence. Not only can she use her powers without the need for a [[PowerCrutch casting]], but she can manipulate all seven elements; as well as heal any wounds and even resurrect the dead. She can also kill anyone with a single flick of the wrist and even murders her own husband by ripping his heart out.
* ''Literature/TheFinalGirlSupportGroup'': [[spoiler:Stephanie Fugate]] turns out to be a rare FauxActionGirl version. [[spoiler:She is the accomplice of the main killer Skye Elliott, and spends the finale armed and trying to kill the main characters, but is very swiftly defeated. It's confirmed at her trial that Skye committed all of the actual murders, including the time she allegedly kicked a SerialKiller out a window to his death. (She did shoot out somebody's eye, though.) This is a bone of serious contention for her.]] By contrast, the main characters all earned the FinalGirl moniker the hard way, by being the {{Sole Survivor}}s of massacres who defeated the {{slasher|Movie}}s who tried to kill them, and they prove that they've StillGotIt even in their forties (and, in Julia's case, being wheelchair-bound from injuries sustained in her last ordeal).
* ''Literature/GirlsDontHit'': Joss is a highly capable assassin who can use a gun and also trains in hand-to-hand combat as it may be necessary sometime. She trains Echo to perform as a hitwoman like her.
%%* ''Literature/{{Gone}}'': Penny from Lies, the third book in the series.
* War from ''Literature/GoodOmens'', who's [[FemmeFatale as deadly as she is beautiful]]. Considering she's the AnthropomorphicPersonification of war, this shouldn't be a surprise.
* Amandis from ''Literature/TheGreatGodsWar'' is a [[SinisterMinister devotee of the Spirit]] and self-proclaimed assassin. Her temper is unpleasant, [[AmbiguouslyEvil her morals are uncertain,]] and she's very, very quick with a knife, to the point that Bifalt (who is a trained soldier and the veteran of a number of battles) admits that if she decided to kill him, he'd have no way of stopping her.
%%* Electra from ''Literature/GreekNinja'' somewhat falls under this trope.
* Bellatrix Lestrange of ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Voldemort's [[TheDragon Dragon]] and a total {{Yandere}} for him, she takes great joy in torturing others and murders [[spoiler:Sirius Black, Dobby, and Tonks]] - not to mention permanently hospitalising Neville's parents in the backstory.
* Miss Hakkendottir from the steampunky ''Literature/TheHunchbackAssignments'': beautiful, thoroughly evil, and considers {{Mooks}} a disposable/consumable resource. Extra points for her two half-mechanical attack dogs...
* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': Female Careers, since they've been trained for the games their whole lives like the boys have. This includes Clove from the first book, and Cashmere and Enobaria from ''Catching Fire''. Enobaria in particular even had [[ScaryTeeth her teeth sharpened to a point]] after ripping out someone's throat with her teeth in the Games she won. (Annie is the exception, because her arena got flooded and she won by virtue of being the only one not to drown.) This is an InformedAttribute for Glimmer, Cashmere, and the unnamed girl from District 4 in the first book, since we never fully see them in action, but Cashmere at least must have been one in the past since she won her Games.
* ''Literature/InCryptid'': Margaret Healy, being a member of the [[KnightTemplar Covenant]], is every bit the badass ActionGirl her estranged cousins the Price-Healy family are. She serves as a {{foil}} for [[GirlyBruiser Verity]] and Antimony, her distant cousins whom she loathes for betraying the Covenant (read: not wanting to kill BenevolentMonsters and {{Non Malicious Monster}}s).
* ''Literature/{{Inkmistress}}'':
** Ina is a powerful fighter, casting [[PlayingWithFire fire on enemies]]. She's even more formidable in [[VoluntaryShapeshifting her form as a dragon]]. In her quest to gain the throne, Ina grows very brutal.
** Nismae, Hal's sister, is a trained assassin. There are several other women too in her group of assassins, the Nightswifts, who are capable as the men. She's ruthless and allied to Ina.
* ''Literature/InterviewingLeather'': Leather is a mix of Dark Action, PerkyGoth, and possible DarkMagicalGirl undertones
* Herad the Black Snake from ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' web serial. She leads a group of bandits and is a merciless killer who does indeed like the color black, that and knives.
* ''Literature/JamesBond'':
** Hera Volopoulos in ''Literature/TheFactsOfDeath'' was raised by Konstantine Romanos, the novel's BigBad, to be the top of her field in combat and assassination.
** Margareta Piel in ''Literature/DoubleShot'' is a killer with an insatiable bloodlust who specializes in daring assassinations and is attracted to other deranged people like herself.
%%* [[spoiler:Lucy Pennykettle]] from ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' when possessed by the Shadow.
* Lisbeth Salander of the ''Literature/MillenniumSeries''. She slashes the throat of one thug with a broken bottle and scares his gang off by acting [[AxCrazy herself]], [[KarmicRape violates her sadistic guardian]] and blackmails him with evidence of his rape, reveals her solution to her abusive father was to KillItWithFire, attacks then chases down a Neo-Nazi who she causes to crash before leaving for dead, and that's just the first book. And [[SociopathicHero she's one of the good guys]].
* Hester Shaw in ''Literature/MortalEngines'' becomes a completely merciless killer. Stalker Fang is at least as much of a bad girl. Being horribly crippled then turned into BrainInAJar inside a KillerRobot chassis can do that to someone.
* DimeNovel hero ''Literature/NickCarter'' had quite a few of these. Perhaps the most dangerous was Dazaar the Arch Fiend. Her specialty was knife throwing; she could throw a knife hundreds of yards with extreme accuracy. Another one of Carter's female enemies was Zanoni the Woman Wizard, a skilled hypnotist and chemist (poisons were her specialty). She was a truly nasty piece of work. Once, after being captured by Nick, he warns her not to try to "make love" to him as a way to get out. Her reply conveys her fiendishness: "Have no fear, my pretty man, my cornucopia of driveling goodness. When I make love to you, it will be to your articulated skeleton--to your empty, fleshless skull--to your heart preserved in alcohol and your liver thrown to the dogs."
* Played with in ''Literature/OldKingdom'': Sabriel is a subversion of the trope, being a necromancer with stereotypical colouring who inspires fear in her enemies, but is instead the hero of the story, as she is a HunterOfHisOwnKind. Clariel fits the trope more and more over the course of her book, [[spoiler: eventually completely embodying it when she becomes Chlorr of the Mask, a necromancer and later one of the Greater Dead.]]
* Tansy in Mira Grant's ''[[Literature/{{Parasitology}} Parasite]]'' subverts this trope by combining it with GenkiGirl and working for [[GreyAndGrayMorality the least bad of the factions in the story]]. But she still actively searches for reasons to kill things and without the MoralityChain of her creator would do so for the most trivial of reasons.
* ''Literature/TheRadix'': Adriana Borgia, modern descendant of 'that' Borgias, is one of the novel's strongest ass-kickers, and a master of ColdBloodedTorture.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' had a few over the course of its twenty-two book run:
** ''Mossflower'': [[BigBad Tsarmina]] [[CatsAreMean the Wildcat Queen]] doesn't seem like one of these at first. A scheming [[TheEvilPrince evil princess]] who poisons her father and frames her brother so she can become [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen]], Tsarmina leaves the fighting to others, preferring not to dirty her paws. During the final battle she tries to run away and is cornered by [[TheAce Martin the Warrior]], the most famed fighter in the series' history, and you figure, game over. Instead she goes absolutely [[TheBerserker berserk]] and proceeds to give Martin [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown the beating of his life]], before his ImplacableMan status [[FreakOut spooks]] her into a [[VillainousBreakdown mental breakdown]] and she [[SelfDisposingVillain runs into a lake]]. [[DavidVersusGoliath Huge]], [[AxCrazy utterly mad]], and capable of shredding chainmail with her [[AbsurdlySharpClaws claws alone]] she definitely belongs on this list. Plus, the physical and psychological fallout from this battle scars Martin for the rest of his life.
** ''The Pearls of Lutra'': Sagitar Sawfang, head of [[BigBad Emperor Ublaz]]'s Trident Rats has a reputation as a formidable fighter, and lives up to it when she kills Rasconza, despite having taken a knife through her chest. Corsair ferret Romsca is also a deadly combatant, fighting Monitor-General Lask Frildur to a MutualKill; Lask's successor as Monitor-General, Zurgat, is the same sort of slavering monster that he himself was, despite being female.
** ''Marlfox'': Three of High Queen Silth's daughters, Vannan, Predak, and Ziral, are capable fighters, wielding their axes with the same skill as their brothers. Silth herself was purportedly a vicious fighter back in her day, though now, old and sick, she isn't up to much fighting.
* In ''Literature/{{Renegades}}'', a number of villains are women, including [[MadBomber The Detonator]], [[PlantPerson Hawthorne]] and [[ForcedSleep Nightmare]], all of whom can go toe to toe with their male counterparts.
* ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'': Angelina, supposedly reformed [[SerialKiller murderess]] turned Special Corp agent/wife of 'Slippery Jim' [=DiGriz=]. Always carries an arsenal of lethal weaponry on her person, and has the ability to produce a [[{{BFG}} .75 calibre recoilless]] from HammerSpace whenever she thinks her husband is getting too slippery for her taste. Supposedly, her more psychopathic impulses have been removed by the psych-techs, but Jim frequently has to restrain her natural enthusiasm for killing and torture.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' actually has a ''lot'' of these.
** Mara Jade (pre-HeelFaceTurn), Aurra Sing, and every female Sith ever are among the most notable.
** Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku's Sith apprentice...cruel, skilled, and a major threat, with a tendency to pull a NotQuiteDead every time she seems defeated. While she ultimately turns against Dooku, it's not a HeelFaceTurn so much as a case of ScrewThisImOuttaHere.
** Vestara Khai from ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'' was Ben Skywalker's Sith girlfriend who was skilled enough to earn a promotion to Lord and help [[RageAgainstTheHeavens kill an evil god]] [[BattleCouple alongside him]].
** In ''Literature/MaulLockdown'':
*** The brutal, undefeated Yuuzhan Vong gladiator champion Maul fights in the opening scene is [[BizarreAlienBiology believed to be female]] by Warden Blirr.
*** Warden Sadiki Blirr is running a GladiatorGames, orders brutal executions without hesitation, and personally kills [[spoiler:some of Jabba's enforcers and pet dragons]] when [[spoiler:Jabba attacks the prison.]]
*** Sinister cult leader Komari Vosa is a former Jedi, and her combat skills deeply impress Maul.
* ''Literature/SweetAndBitterMagic'': Marlena is alive, it turns out, and the witch using dark magic that has caused all the misfortune in the story. When they finally meet, she and Tamsin fight each other in a brutal WizardDuel.
* The ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series:
** The Mord-Sith began as Darken Rahl's servants, whom he employed to capture and break his enemy's wizards. Even without their AntiMagic abilities they were often formidable fighters, with Cara being a particular standout. Under Darken Rahl's control they were and brutal and deadly, to the point that even their mere ''presence'' could terrify regular soldiers. ''Especially'' when they were wearing their red leathers. A Mord-Sith wearing red indicated she meant ''business'', and your blood was about to end up all over her.[[note]]Mord-Sith generally wore brown when off-duty, and white to show that they'd "broken" their captives, and no longer needed to torture them.[[/note]]
** Death's Mistress, aka Sister Nicci. She serves the [[TheEmpire Imperial Order]] in their war against the "good" factions, a terror to the forces of the New World and a heroine to the Order, and is one of the main threats to Richard Rahl in ''Faith of the Fallen.'' Interestingly enough, she is also a DarkMagicalGirl, FemmeFatale, and a StalkerWithACrush at times. [[spoiler: Eventually, she does a HighHeelFaceTurn and joins Richard's party, and is afterwards their BlackMagicianGirl.]]
* ''Literature/ThroneOfGlass'': Celaena/Aelin, especially in the first book. Not shocking, given that she's a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters conflicted]], [[SuperpoweredEvilSide supernaturally-angry]], [[DarkAndTroubledPast secretive]] [[PsychoForHire assassin]]. The shit well and truly hits the fan when she goes toe-to-toe with fellow DAG, bloodthirsty witch [[BloodKnight Manon Blackbeak]].
* ''Literature/TrintonChronicles'': Sara can count as this with her [[LovecraftianSuperpower bone control]] powers.
* Malina Kekapania of ''Literature/TwoSerpentsRise'' poisoned a city's water supply, killed a god, and awakened giant fire serpents to chase foreign sorcerers, whom she saw as an occupying force, out of the city.
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'':
** Vamp, the bad girl of [[BigBad The Necromancer's]] team. She beat ''Bladedancer'' in a fair fight.
** Winter (the daughter of supervillains).
** Cutlass (wants to become a henchwoman to a supervillain), who ripped up the Cadet Crusaders.
** Olympia, who may be closer to AxCrazy.
%%* Ivana Vasilyeva from Creator/DaleBrown's ''Literature/WingsOfFire''.
* ''Literature/ZeroSight'': {{Deuteragonist}} and vampire Rei Bathory employs JackBauerInterrogationTechnique, is a BloodKnight, feeds on humans and werewolves whenever she has a chance, loves black, and can go OneWingedAngel. Without her BlindObedience to one of the good guys, she would probably be one of the villains instead of one of the heroes..
[[/folder]]

* In ''Fanfic/ActionPack'' the only villains to appear as of now are women, Joystick, Iron Maiden, Snapdragon, and Quake. [[spoiler: Both Joystick and Iron Maiden actually get one over on Spider-Man and they both get Black Fox to let them go, and coincidentally it takes both of them to take them down. And though she only has one actual appearance, Quake still goes head to head with Kira and can hold her own.]] The only real let down, the 'Faux Dark Action Girl' is Snapdragon.

* Rare heroic example: Rachel from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}},'' who begins as an ActionGirl but gets closer and closer to this trope as the series goes on. [[TortureTechnician Taylor]] could be seen as an actual villainous example, though she generally avoids using her unique fighting skills in favor of psychological manipulation.
%%* Protagonist example who is still "Dark": Lale of ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin''.
* Makala of ''Literature/TheBladeOfTheFlame'', both before her in-backstory death and after she [[spoiler:gets bitten by a vampire]]. Exhibits ClingyJealousGirl traits after the spoilered event too.
* Wedgie Woman is one of, if not ''the'' most badass ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' villain. Jennifer the alien and Trixie the Robo-Booger are also pretty tough, and they are implied, but not explicitly stated, to be female.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': Joslyn saves Tasia from a skilled assassin who it turns out is a woman, Ty'Tsana, and nearly equals her skills. It turns out she's from the Order of Taghren, who are all-female witch assassins working an unknown enemy.
* Pernica the Swift in ''Codebook of the Cosmos'' faces as many as four street robbers in a row with a double set of knives, and wins. In ''The Dominion Device'', she even confronts a hall full of Germanic warriors. With a drinking horn. And earns their respect by giving black eyes to a couple of them.
* Phrygiar Navaris from the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' is a psychotically obsessive swordswoman and one of the top five blades in her civilization - she normally hires herself out as a mercenary, and has racked up a kill count ''in the hundreds'' during her life (and those are just the ones we know about). Aquitainus Invidia from the same series is more like TheVamp, TheChessmaster, and a traitor all in one person, but she's more than capable of getting her hands dirty if she has to.

* In ''Literature/DarkHeart'', Wyre is a gleefully sadistic assassin who volunteers her service as a bodyguard to the heroes Myrren and Raine. Later on, Myrren [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] and becomes one as well [[spoiler:in order to fight Wyre when she realizes her real intentions]].
* Kitiara from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''. Kitiara is beautiful, a skilled warrior and, above all else, she is cold and calculating. Power-hungry, she has never been truly able to call someone a friend. In many ways, she and Raistlin are much alike. Neither would hesitate to betray an ally if presented with a guarantee at supreme power.
* Exaggerated by ''Literature/TheDraka'' series, in which the eponymous, [[TheSpartanWay ultra-militarist]] Draka state conscripts all citizen women and have them perform military service just like men, and even their Air Force pilots consistently beat the male infantry veterans and special forces operatives of the United States in hand-to-hand combat thanks to their [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower uber training]]. In other words, every other random {{Mook|s}} is one of these. One book even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s how improbable this is, given their inherent handicap in size, reach and physical strength.
* Lara Raith in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' alternates between being Harry's FriendlyEnemy and a reluctant ally. Being a [[SuccubiAndIncubi White Court vampire]], she is superhumanly strong, fast, and durable, but still needs to feed on the life energy of humans.
%%* Penny from Lies, the third book in the ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series.
* Queen Rielle of ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'' was ''the'' most powerful elemental in existance: not only could she use her powers without the need for a [[PowerCrutch casting]], she could manipulate all seven elements as well as heal any wounds and even ressurect the dead. However, she could also kill anyone with a single flick of the wrist, and even murdered her own husband by ripping his heart out.

* Another protagonist example: Celaena/Aelin of ''Literature/ThroneOfGlass'', especially in the first book. Not shocking, given that she's a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters conflicted]], [[SuperpoweredEvilSide supernaturally-angry]], [[DarkAndTroubledPast secretive]] [[PsychoForHire assassin]]. The shit well and truly hits the fan when she goes toe-to-toe with fellow DAG, bloodthirsty witch [[BloodKnight Manon Blackbeak]].

%%* Ivana Vasilyeva from Creator/DaleBrown's ''Wings of Fire''.
* In ''Literature/ZeroSight'', {{Deuteragonist}} and vampire Rei Bathory employs JackBauerInterrogationTechnique, is a BloodKnight, feeds on humans and werewolves whenever she has a chance, loves black, and can go OneWingedAngel. Without her BlindObedience to one of the good guys, she would probably be one of the villains instead of one of the heroes..

[[folder:Multi-Media]]
* Lariska from ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' is an energetic ninja-like bounty hunter/assassin. The leader of the Dark Hunter organization could only keep her in check by cutting off her left arm as punishment, [[ArtificialLimbs replacing it with a robotic one]]. Not really a PunchClockVillain, as she will work for the good guys, but not enjoy it. Sadly, [[ToylessToylineCharacter we don't know what she looks like]].
[[/folder]]

* Silencia Venemosa in ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'' was a ruthless bounty hunter who single-handedly ruined two major corporations by foiling a heist on one, a sequence of events that resulted in the deaths of four small-time criminals, both [=CEOs=], and at least two innocent bystanders (though neither actually died by ''her'' hand). The untold story of what she did at Dacta Corporation is said to be even worse.

* Lucidique from ''[[Toys/CliveBarkersTorturedSouls Tortured Souls]]''. Notable in that she starts out as a more standard ActionGirl, going from an idealistic young woman who wants to save Primoridum from its corrupt ruler, to a vengeful, inhuman AntiHero who'll slaughter anyone who so much as annoys her.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Pretty Pink Ponytails in ''Literature/AngelOfDeath'' is a highly skilled, sadistic, and unstable fighter. [[spoiler:Thus far, she's the only human to survive direct combat with Cody, and the only reason she didn't win is because he, who has super strength and speed and the ability to fire bursta of magical energy from his hand, called the police on a mortal.]]
%%* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'', [[spoiler: Dodoria]] is one.
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', there are quite a few characters who fit this trope such as [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Adela]], [[spoiler:[[LadyOfBlackMagic Desdemona]]]], [[EvilMentor Endoran]], [[PsychoLesbian Etna]], [[DarkMessiah Glaurung]], Nina, [[TheBaroness Shyralis]], [[PerkyFemaleMinion Tarna]], [[spoiler:[[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Vaetris]]]], [[LadyOfWar Varalia]] and [[PsychoForHire Zenobia]].
* Common for evil women on ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil''. Notable examples include Xyra Sizhran, a manipulative Stormcommando.
%%* From ''Website/ChannelAwesome'', WebVideo/DiamandaHagan and [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Judas Liz]].
* Leather from ''Literature/InterviewingLeather'' is a mix of Dark Action, PerkyGoth, and possible DarkMagicalGirl undertones
* ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'':
** A recurring character from v2 to v4 was [[GratuitousGerman Kapitänin]] Karla Weir. She worked for a 19th-century equivalent of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, was rumored to perform raids on colonies belonging to fellow member states of TheFederation, and was frequently called on by [[CloakAndDagger intelligence officer]] and literal [[TheBaroness baroness]] Rhianna von Adolph to help her with carrying out the occasional dirty work.
** Rhianna herself qualifies, being a highly-skilled knife wielder armed with a [[SchizoTech diamond-coated]] combat knife. Unlike Karla, she makes a comeback in v5, if only reduced to a backstory role.
* A fair amount of villains in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' fit this, on at least two occasions, being a homage to [[Literature/BattleRoyale Mitsuko Souma]]. Examples include Angelina Kaige (v1), Mariavel Varella (v2), Melina Frost (v3), Clio Gabriella (v4), Reiko Ishida, prior to CharacterDevelopment (v4), and countless others.
* Sara from ''Literature/TrintonChronicles'' can count as this with her [[LovecraftianSuperpower bone control]] powers.
* Literature/WhateleyUniverse example: Vamp, the bad girl of [[BigBad The Necromancer's]] team. She beat ''Bladedancer'' in a fair fight. Also Winter (the daughter of supervillains) and Cutlass (wants to become a henchwoman to a supervillain), who ripped up the Cadet Crusaders. Or Olympia, who may be closer to AxCrazy. Or...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'' had two of these:
** The Gesellschaft/Perfecti Cult's leader, Mycale the Perfecti, was manipulating history in middle ages and wants to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy old humanity]], then create the new one under her rule. After her original body was executed by Holy Club for her villainy, she uses dark magic to link her wand: Mazen Dine Slave and able to possessed people (including WWII Female Doctor, Kati [[spoiler:and later Anonym Merel]]) who touches it and continues her manipulations for centuries, [[spoiler:and she's also responsible for not only manipulating Marilyn into betraying and kill her boss: Yin Hu (one of [[BigBad Murakumo]] clones) and becoming Black Hand's leader (as she was expecting), it cause Wei to come after her until he finds out who the boss really was. she also appears to manipulate Marilyn again to kill or defeat Akatsuki then take his Blitz Motor from him for her to finally become a big boss of the traid]]. And she calls herself to be "[[AGodAmI The Perfect One]]" and is ''merciless'' for anyone in battle.
** The [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad Assassin]] Marilyn doesn't look like one at first, however she's one of them. She's a FemmeFatale [[spoiler: implied to had a [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic past]]]] who [[ObfuscatingStupidity puts up a bubbly and seductive facade]] that she [[TheStarscream remains no real loyalties save for herself]]. [[spoiler: But in reality, [[AvertedTrope she was actually manipulated to kill her boss and she was expecting to become the triad's leader by Mycale]]]]. And is ruthless, willing to go where other mobsters won't and completely determined to rise in power and influence by kidnapping Akatsuki or steal a Blitz Motor from him to The "Black Hand" organization.
* ''Franchise/BaldursGate'':
** Bodhi from ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII: Shadows of Amn''. Even if your PC is a heavily armoured warrior with an InfinityPlusOneSword or two, she can probably wipe the floor with him or her in single combat with her bare hands, while wearing less than required by decency.
** Simply because playable characters are almost automatically good at combat, any evil female PlayerCharacter is bound to count too, unless particularly inept in combat, as is any evil female group member, which actually only includes Shar-Teel and Viconia.
* Ayme from ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos: Eternal Wings and the lost Ocean'' is one of [[TheDragon Giacomo]]'s two right-hand people (the other being a man named Folon) and terrorizes the party alongside her two comrades on several occasions throughout the game. The party fights all three of them together in two big events, and she proves to be an extremely challenging opponent both times. She's also [[spoiler: the one who directly killed [[TheHero Kalas']] brother and grandfather]].
* ''VideoGame/BioShock'':
** ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' has a stable of Big Sisters, all of them psychotic, suped-up [=DAGs=]
** Daisy Fitzroy of ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' shows traits of this.
* Every female character from the ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' series, including the main character. ''Especially'' the main character.
* ''VideoGame/CrisisBeat'': Whigen's legion of terrorists includes several women, including his tonfa-swinging lieutenant, Lou, who serves as one of the last bosses.
* ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'':
** Sariss from ''VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII'', a reserved BrokenBird and Dark Jedi apprentice to [[BigBad Dark Jedi Master Jerec]].
** Tavion from ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast'', [[TheDragon apprentice]] to the [[BigBad Dark Jedi Desann]]. A talented lightsaber duelist and DirtyCoward, [[spoiler: who after begging [[PlayerCharacter Kyle Katarn]] for her life [[ISurrenderSuckers turns around and wastes the second chance at life he gave her]] by starting a new DarkSide cult to antagonize the Jedi after Desann's death. By the time of ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'' she's [[DragonAscendant taken a new apprentice]] named Alora, and [[PlayerCharacter Jaden Korr]] is forced to kill them both.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''
** Morrigan's SoulJar Lilith is a mixed example as she's genuinely innocent and playful but is also TheDragon for Jedah.
** Played straight with [[FakeCutie B.B.Hood]] (or Bulleta in Japan) and [[BeePeople Q-Bee]] who lack any morality and are downright evil.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'': [[spoiler:The game's true BigBad turns out to be [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Nashandra]], an [[HumanoidAbomination Child of Manus]] that takes the form of a graceful queen in white before undergoing [[OneWingedAngel a horrific transformation for her boss fight]]]].
** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': The Dancer of the Boreal Valley looks like a sinister, undead odalisque and fight just as gracefully using a [[DualWielding pair]] of {{flaming sword}}s. Also the only explicit female boss in the game before the DLC, since all others are agendered, ambiguous, or male. The ''Ashes of Ariandel'' includes Sister Friede, a scythe-wielding nun that uses fire and cold magic in her boss fight.
* In ''VideoGame/DetectiveDiTheSilkRoseMurders'' it turns out that ''four'' of them plays a big role in the plot. [[spoiler:Before she became Empress, Wu personally handpicked four strong, beautiful, and intelligent young women to become the Silk Roses, her own squad of devoted and loyal assassins, who would use cunning, deception, and tenaciousness to get close to and eliminate her political enemies. It is also these women who are targeted by the SerialKiller Di hunts.]]
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
** Trish the demoness from the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]] spends most of the game as this since she works for the EvilOverlord Mundus and tries to kill the protagonist Dante towards the end. She heel-turns however when Dante saves her life and performs a HeroicSacrifice and comes back to save him at the end. It helps that she's identical to his dead mother Eva.
** The Secretaries who work for Arius in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' are this. {{Deuteragonist}} Lucia discovers she is one of them.
** Arguably Lady from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' is a downplayed version of this. She spends most of the game being antagonistic to Dante, shooting at him at any given opportunity and even fights him for real in a boss battle when he refuses to let her face her father Arkham. Except Lady is really a BrokenBird and becomes a much nicer character by the end of the game.
* In ''VideoGame/DisneyPrincessEnchantedJourney'', [[https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Zara Zara]]. She's older than the heroine and an ex-princess who uses her magic for evil.
* [[TokenEvilTeammate Morrigan]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is a badass LadyOfBlackMagic with a snarky attitude and a morally ambiguous stance.
* ''VideoGame/DragonballFighterz'': Android 21 is an incredibly powerful fighter, whose power rivals even the likes of Cell and Majin Buu, and serves as the BigBad of the story. [[spoiler: However, this description only applies to [[EnemyWithout her evil half]]. 21's good half is still a skilled fighter, and though she retains her dark aura, this time DarkIsNotEvil and she's genuinely a NiceGirl.]]
* Christie from the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series is this. She is a professional assassin with a creepy TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou LesYay fixation on Helena.
* ''VideoGame/DustyRevenge'' and ''VideoGame/DustyRagingFist'' have the cat bandits, an all-female legion of enemies who can put up quite a fight before going down. And they favor WolverineClaws as their weapons. ''Revenge'' also has Amelia Swift, a jaguar kunoichi as the boss of Ogdro Jungle, while ''Raing Fist'' has Kitsune the fox, a deadly assassin who's an ally.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Enemies}}'', [[spoiler: the player character's girlfriend Joanna is a serial killer]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** The player of course has the option of being one, if they choose a female PlayerCharacter and use morally questionable if not outright evil action to solve their problems. Or, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential just do evil things]] ForTheEvulz.
** With very few exceptions, the raiders in any given game have [[EqualOpportunityEvil no issues with recruiting female members.]]
** Clover from ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' is very much CuteAndPsycho who you can usually only get as a companion with high evil karma. Unless you use console commands, allowing you to be a moral exemplar with a sadistic female teammate.
** Violet from ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is a [[TheBeastMaster dog tamer]] and one of the four leaders of The Fiends.
** Downplayed with [[TokenEvilTeammate Cait]], one of the players potential companions from ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' and a carrier cage fighter, who do in large part to her [[PsychoSerum Psycho addiction]], is one the most [[AxCrazy aggressive and violent]] members of the player's party. [[note]] Also, she enjoys steeling stuff. [[/note]] Though if the player chooses to help her kick the Psycho addiction, she will become significantly more stable.
** Nisha, one the raider bosses in the Nuka-World DLC, runs her own personal AxCrazy AmazonBrigade [[note]] Technically she does have male subordinates too, but they only make up about 10% of her gang[[/note]] and is almost undoubtedly the most ruthless and sadistic raider boss in the whole DLC.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''
** Barbariccia, the Archfiend of Wind and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple sole female member]] of the Archfiends from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', who fights the heroes in the Tower of Zot.
** Scarlet of Shinra from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is a subverted example. She's one of the CoDragons of Rufus Shinra and is presented as a foil to resident ActionGirl Tifa, but Scarlet relies on her {{mooks}} in combat and her "fight" with Tifa is a notoriously [[SissyFight silly slap battle]]. Played straight in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake Intergrade'' as Scarlet gets into her powerful MiniMecha and [[AdaptationalBadass proves to be a more dangerous opponent]].
** Ultimecia of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is the most powerful Sorceress in existence and the BigBad of the game. She wants to destroy and remake the universe in her own image, thus becoming a god. Alongside her magical powers, she can possess any Sourceress and use their bodies to do what she pleases, fuse with her Guardian Force Griever which combines her powers with his and she can also transform into her most powerful form, a [[EldritchAbomination hideous, symmetrical, eldritch creature]] whose powers are amplified even further.
** Beatrix, the general of Alexandria, is one for most of the first two discs of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''. Anytime she's fought by the party, it's a HopelessBossFight. Lani the bounty hunter takes over for the rest of the game.
* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has always granted us with ''lots'' of heroic {{Action Girl}}s. However, female villains are much rarer, there is typically only [[TheSmurfettePrinciple one]] female villain, as opposed to antagonist or DarkMagicalGirl in each game. Due to FemalesAreMoreInnocent this trope is becoming rarer in the series.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEchoesShadowsOfValentia'', the remake of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'', Nuibaba, is a scheming and evil witch.
** Hilda, and many generic bosses from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar''. Especially Hilda, who's quite possibly one of the most evil villains in ''Fire Emblem'' history.
** From ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', Brunnya is one of the top three generals in the [[EvilEmpire Bern]] army, and makes for a ''super'' tough boss fight near the end. There is also the minor boss, Sigune, who betrayed her nation to side with Zephiel.
** Sonia, Ursula, and Limstella in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', with Sonia being the particularly cruel one, Ursula being a ruthless minion, and Limstella being a TragicVillain.
** Petrine from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. Only major female antagonist in the game ''and'' extremely cruel, being the cruelest of Daein's four riders.
** [[spoiler:Goddess Ashera]] from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' is arguably even more of one than Petrine, considering she's [[spoiler:the ultimate BigBad, an [[GodIsEvil evil goddess]], and ''[[ThatOneBoss really fucking hard]]'' to beat]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' subverts this: Aversa is a LadyOfBlackMagic working for the Grimleal, a ReligionOfEvil. [[spoiler:Only for Spotpass content where it turns out she was only evil due to being BrainwashedAndCrazy by the Grimleal. When she learns the truth and snaps out, she immediately [[HeelFaceTurn jumps ship]], thus making this FemalesAreMoreInnocent instead.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' Arete is a quiet, elegant LadyOfBlackMagic with VERY powerful spells. [[spoiler: In another subversion she CameBackWrong thanks to Anankos ''and'' suffers of LaserGuidedAmnesia.]] Minor boss Daniele plays this straight though, being a bloodthirsty soldier of Nohr.
* Apollyon in ''VideoGame/ForHonor'' is a ''very'' physically powerful and intimidating example of this trope, being essentially a female, LowFantasy take on the EvilOverlord trope. She serves as the singleplayer's BigBad and is responsible for the newly instigated war between the game's three factions thanks to her WarIsGlorious philosophy. She can also do [[http://imgur.com/sZTw0b1 this.]]
* [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Myrrah]] heads into the fray with some new battle armor for ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 3'''s multiplayer.
* Menardi, from ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'', fits this trope, although [[spoiler:it's revealed in the sequel that she and Saturos were actually saving the world...after the heroes killed them. (Oops.)]]
** Just ask any soldier of Tolbi, and they'll tell you she still fits the bill, no matter her intentions.
** Menardi's sister, Karst, is also very much an example.
** ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' introduces Chalis. She prefers subterfuge, but she's still a very dangerous opponent [[spoiler: and a wielder of [[CastingAShadow Dark Psynergy]]]].
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'':
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoClassic'' and the [[Platform/GameBoy Game Boy Color]] port of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'' let you select from one of several characters at the start, some of them being women. It didn't affect gameplay in any way, as your character in these games was a sprite viewed from the top down who you would only know was a man or a woman by [[AllThereInTheManual going into the menu]]. Given that you're playing as a hardcore criminal, she's not exactly a model of moral respectability.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' has the main antagonist [[SpicyLatina Catalina]]. She is the BigBad of the game's storyline who betrays the protagonist Claude and leaves him for dead, and also has a gleeful affinity for [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turning on her "lovers"]] who [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlive their usefulness when the business with them is done]]. To top it off, she eventually becomes the most powerful mob boss in the game. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' has you meet her and Claude as an OutlawCouple nine years before the events of ''III''.
** It's possible to make your [[CharacterCustomization player-created avatar]] in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoOnline'' a woman.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoVI'' introduces the series' first canonical female protagonist in Lucia, one half of the OutlawCouple at the center of the game. The trailer reveals that she's just been released from prison, only to fall right back into old habits as she robs a store with her boyfriend Jason.
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' gives us I-No, one of [[BigBad That Man's]] servants. Ramlethal Valentine in ''Xrd'' would also count, at least until her HeelFaceTurn.
* Megaera along with the other two Furies from ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'' certainly qualify, being a WakeUpCallBoss for the players who reach her. Though worth noting Megaera isn't as evil as other examples being a PunchClockVillain at worst, and she only fights Zagreus becuase she'd honestly rather be on his bad side than his dad (and her boss) Hades. Megaera is even an optional {{Love Interest|s}} [[DeathIsCheap after you kill her]] for the first time.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** Kat in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' is a case of a Dark Action Girl in the protagonist's team. This doesn't make her exactly "good", however; she seems to still bear some of the psychological scars of being a war-orphan-turned-child-SuperSoldier.
** ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'': [[spoiler:Cortana]], after her FaceHeelTurn, seeks to bring peace to the universe by attaining the [[TakingUpTheMantle Mantle of Responsibility]] and ruling as [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Empress of the Galaxy]]. [[spoiler:By using the Guardians, she plans to use their power to annihilate anyone who doesn't adhere to her moral authority.]]
* ''VideoGame/HeistTheCrimeOfTheCentury'' is the only one of his games with no primary villainess. As a thief, the player character is definitely an anti-heroine though. And ''there is'' a female bodyguard to a mob boss.
* ''VideoGame/HeroinesMantle'' has three: a murderous magician, a pirate captain with a [[LaserBlade laser sword]], and a seductive martial arts expert. And the heroine gets into an action-movie fight with ''all three'' of them.
* Sasha from ''VideoGame/InFamous'' would also fit this trope. [[spoiler: She was formerly Cole's (or, [[AlternateTimeline more]] [[BadFuture accurately]], Kessler's) girlfriend,]] and she's also one of the boss encounters in the game.
* In ''VideoGame/InsideWoman'', the director of the company you're infiltrating has six physically identical female assassins in his employ. All with special abilities and codenames.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' has Vice, Mature, [[spoiler: Orochi Shermie]] and Angel, amongst others.
* Larxene of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' certainly fits the bill. She's well aware of it, too - her personal title is "The Savage Nymph", and she delights in taunting the heroes with "clues" that turn out to be completely fake. Plus, in RE:[=CoM=], she manages to martial-arts kick Sora to the ground...TWICE. She's an [[ThatOneBoss/KingdomHearts absolute bitch to fight]] and, well, a bitch in general too! In [[Manga/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories the manga]] she's seen reading a biography of Creator/MarquisDeSade, the ''namesake'' for sadism.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' the main character can be this if you choose to be female and [[KarmaMeter Dark Side]]. The [[SuperpoweredMooks many faceless female Dark Jedi]] you run across throughout the game also presumably count.
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' has Visas Marr, former Sith apprentice to the EldritchAbomination Darth Nihilus as well as [[spoiler: the Dark Jedi Master Atris]]. If the PlayerCharacter is DarkSide, they can [[TheCorrupter turn their other female companions into this as well]].
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has some Dark Action Girls.
** Katarina the Sinister Blade is this to a T, being DaddysLittleVillain and a professional killer who use knives. Her default skin has her dressed all in black, she's very aggressive and violent, and ''loves'' carnage. Her selection quote is even "Violence solves everything!"
** Evelynn the Widowmaker, a deadly, [[AxCrazy psychotic]] assassin who LovesTheSoundOfScreaming, is definitely one.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelNemesisRiseOfTheImperfects'':
** The female Imperfects would definitely fit here in this trope. Solara incinerates people, Fault Zone loves to make the ground tremble with her seismic accelerators, and The Wink seductively slashes people. All three are fueled by hatred and vengeance, just like their male comrades, Brigade, Hazmat, and Johnny Ohm.
** And then there's the killing machine, Paragon, though she's not really one of the Imperfects.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes'': The SecretCharacter known as Shadow Lady is [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]] from an AlternateUniverse who was [[UnwillingRoboticisation forcibly turned into a brainwashed cyborg]] for Shadaloo. In retaliation for foiling their operations, Shadaloo kidnapped and robotzed Chun-Li for the sake of transforming her into M. Bison's [[TheDragon top assassin]]. Unlike Shadow--a brainwashed Charlie Nash, who escaped shortly after being transformed--Shadaloo added a RestrainingBolt to Shadow Lady's programming so she would remain fully loyal to them. As Shadow Lady, [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul her formerly cheerful personality was obliterated]], transforming her into a emotionless minion. [[spoiler:In her ending however, Shadow Lady [[HeroicWillpower overcomes Shadaloo's brainwashing]], [[HeelFaceTurn regain her original memories as Chun-Li]], and join forces with Shadow in taking down Shadaloo]].
* Jack of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', a shaven and tattooed biotics experiment, whose experiences have left her unstable, to say the least...though traveling with Paragon Shepard ''can'' make her a bit more balanced and less sociopathic.
** This can be applied to a female Commander Shepard, as well, if you choose Renegade options in the game.
** Tela Vasir, asari Spectre working for the Shadow Broker and willing to bomb innocent people to get at her target, and tough as nails, providing one of the most difficult fights of the game after going through ''a lot'' of abuse beforehand.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** Subverted with The Boss aka The Joy in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' she seems like a DoubleAgent for BigBad Volgin and ruthlessly and efforestly defeats the protagionist Naked Snake several times throughout the game. [[spoiler: It's revealed by the end however that she was GoodAllAlong and was [[FakeDefector forced to pretend to be a traitor]] for her country and fight her protégé whom kills her and only discovered later that she was under orders to act like a Dark Action Girl]].
** Ocelot clearly believes in EqualOpportunityEvil and always has some female henchmen in his gangs. As with [[MindScrew everything in the series]], things are a bit more complex with Sniper Wolf, [[AerithAndBob Olga]], and Fortune, but Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven, Crying Wolf, and Screaming Mantis of the Beauty and the Beast Unit are just [[AxCrazy completely insane]].
** [[spoiler: Pacifica Ocean aka Paz the DoubleAgent for The Patriots reveals herself to be this in the finale of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' as she hijacks [[HumongousMecha Metal Gear ZEKE]] and tries to kill Big Boss with it]].
** The SpinOff ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' has Mistral a MultiArmedAndDangerous female cyborg who's easily stronger than the aforementioned examples, as while she does lose to Raiden she could stil match him in combat, even after he got a new even better cybernetic body.
** Quiet starts off like this in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' as she works for Skull Face and tries to kill Big Boss [[spoiler: or least someone ''she thinks'' is Big Boss]] before getting set on fire and thrown out a window. She comes back later as a mute ColdSniper and even after getting brought to Mother Base she is kept under constant guard, although she does become nicer [[VillainessesWantHeroes upon falling in love with Venom Snake]].
* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'': Dark Samus is a reincarnation of the titular Metroid Prime and one of Samus's deadliest opponents, having all of her abilities empowered by Phazon and being difficult to kill.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has some of these:
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' has Mileena, an EvilKnockoff [[EvilCounterpart and Counterpart]] of Kitana. She was created from her "sister's" essence but also mixed with some Tarkatan genes. The result is an AxCrazy, [[TheSociopath psychopathic]] woman [[PsychopathicWomanchild with a child's mind.]]
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' has Tanya, who betrayed her homeland of Edenia by allying with Shinnok, a [[FallenHero fallen Elder God]] who intends to destroy the Elder Gods and Raiden for casting him down in the Netherrealm and [[MultiversalConqueror take over all of the realms.]]
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'': Frost, being an EvilCounterpart of Sub-Zero, becomes one after she tried to usurp his position as the Lin Kuei's grandmaster. [[spoiler:She again goes down this route in [[VideoGame/MortalKombat11 the new timeline again]] by aligning herself with the franchise's GreaterScopeVillain Kronika and [[RobotGirl roboticizing herself]].]]
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' has Kira, a female {{Expy}} of Kano.
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' besides Mileena, we also get Skarlet, a being composed of countless warriors defeated by Shao Khan, and is [[UndyingLoyalty loyal to Outworld's ruler]].
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' has two of these:
*** D'Vorah. She at first serves Kotal Kahn, who took over Outworld after overthrowing Mileena. [[spoiler:But it turns out that [[TheMole she was working]] for Shinnok, the BigBad of the game. And it goes [[ExaggeratedTrope Up to Eleven]] in her arcade ending, where she [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder double-crosses]] Shinnok and uses his powers for her own gain.]]
*** [[spoiler:Kitana becomes one after being [[ReforgedIntoAMinion revived as a brainwashed revenant minion]] by Quan Chi at the end of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the previous game]]. She and Liu Kang serve as the CoDragons to the necromancer (who in turn, is TheDragon for [[BigBad Shinnok]], who was trapped in his amulet) during the 25-year gap, and [[FaceHeelTurn both of them start to appreciate their status as revenants]]. And after Shinnok's downfall, she [[DragonAscendant becomes the]] [[HellHasNewManagement Netherrealm's empress]] ruling it alongside Liu Kang. Her [[EvilCostumeSwitch new outfit as Dark Empress Kitana]] reflects her new role as a potential villainess for the franchise.]]
* It is heavily implied that Nathyrra of ''[[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark]]'' used to be one. Almost every female drow that shows up in the campaign, as well as [[spoiler:Aribeth]] in the original after her FaceHeelTurn and if you keep her on the dark side in Hordes of the Underdark, also qualify.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'':
** Speed Buster, the not-so-nice old lady with a {{BFG}} is probably what happens when the Dark Action Girl [[NeverMessWithGranny survives into her 70s]]. In fact, ''every'' female opponent in probably qualifies under this trope, ''especially'' [[AxCrazy Bad Girl.]]
** [[WakeUpCallBoss Shinobu Jacobs]] is introduced by Travis asking to see her in the middle of one of her classes - and slicing every single one of her classmates to pieces in order to LeaveNoWitnesses. She's the '''''nicest''''' of the ten assassins Travis faces. Even after her HeelFaceTurn in [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle the second game]], she's still ''very'' brutal in combat.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'': [[spoiler:[[FinalBoss Peach]] becomes one while being possessed by the Shadow Queen, becoming Shadow Queen Peach. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Shadow Queen]] herself is an extremely powerful sorceress, having created the Crystal Stars, an immense number of demonic followers and three pet dragons to [[TheDreaded instill fear in the hearts and minds of many]]. She was responsible for the calamities that struck the city where Rogueport now stands, forcing the remaining survivors to serve her until she was sealed away by four heroes, but not before she condemned them to a FateWorseThanDeath; even the Thousand-Year Door (and by extension, the Palace of Shadows) gave a bad vibe to anybody who ventured near it. The demon plans to [[OmnicidalManiac plunge the world into darkness after being revived by Grodus]]]].
* Shahdee in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaWarriorWithin'' is an accomplished swordsman, able to not only hold her own against the Prince in their rematch but also even defeat him on more than one occasion. In addition to being extremely proficient in swordplay, she is also skilled in unarmed combat.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** Ada Wong. [[DatingCatwoman Sure she's very friendly with Leon]] (when they aren't pointing guns at each other) but besides that there's no doubt she's an amoral SheFu happy FemmeFataleSpy who will happily work for any number of sinister organisations as well as commit any crime and betray anyone for a pay check. The only reason to root for her is that, her enemies tend be EvilerThanThou.
** [[AristocratsAreEvil Alexia Ashford]] from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica''. She's completely sociopathic and believes all around her exist only to be experimented on. When in human form, she does not seem so threatening. [[OneWingedAngel Then she transforms into a monster that uses her blood like napalm]] [[TheWorfEffect and fights]] [[TheDragon Wesker]] [[TheWorfEffect to a stand-still]].
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations'' has [[spoiler: Jessica a DoubleAgent for Tricell, although like Ada in her first appearance she's on your side for most of the game and her true colors are only revealed later]].
** [[spoiler: Jill]] is one for most of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', thanks to being brainwashed. During the final missions she kicks both Chris and Sheva asses simultaneously thanks to Wesker's experiments. The same game has Excella Wesker's NumberTwo, though she only gets to show off her asskicking Dark Action Girl status in ''Mercenaries Mode''.
** Carla from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' [[spoiler: who spends most of the game as Ada's EvilKnockOff makes her counterpart seem like Mother Teresa in comparison as she sadistically butchers all of Chris's men and causes immense destruction throughout the game before turning into a goo monster]].
** Played with in regards to [[spoiler: Mia]] from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard''. [[spoiler: It's revealed towards the end of the game that she's an operative of The Connections, a criminal syndicate which produces Bioweapons akin to Umbrella or Tricell (which explains her proficiency in firearms), and is partly responsible for events of game as she's BigBad Eveline's caretaker. However Mia does manages to be much more sympathetic than Ada or Jessica since [[LoveRedeems she genuinely loves her husband Ethan]] (who was unaware of her job) and urged him not to get involved with her life and even when infected with TheVirus and trying to kill Ethan Mia still says "[[TearJerker I love you]]" after Ethan shoots her in the head ([[HealingFactor she recovers)]]. Curing Mia will give the player the good ending.]]
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' has the LargeAndInCharge [[StatuesqueStunner Lady Dimitrescu]] and her no less powerful, attractive and AxCrazy daughters Daniela, Bela and Cassandra who serve as the pursuing vampire-like antagonists for a portion of the game. Following them, there's also MarionetteMaster Donna Beneviento and BigBad Mother Miranda.
* Tati from ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai'', while not really a villain, qualifies for this trope. She's absolutely vicious and won't hesitate to kill any Kasai warrior she sees. [[spoiler:Her family was slaughtered by the Kasai, she once hung out with her era's equivalent of a street gang, and she's cursed with a mark that is gradually corrupting her. She hates the world for this curse as well.]] Hatred runs through her veins.
* The girls of Schwarzkreuz as well as [[spoiler:Iris Zeppelin]] in ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'' count as these. All five (six if you count both of the Refraktia twins separately) are powerful magic-users and have quite a bone to pick with the members of RKS.
** In general, the girls of Schwarzkreuz are part of an organization of witch-hunters that are attacking magi in an attempt to "put down the Walpurgisnacht".
** Pamela Arwig, the captain of Schwarzkreuz, is an AntiVillain with a magical sword who tends to come across as haughty and sanctimonious at times, and answers to the Pope in his oppression of RKS and the magi. She never doubts her views of justice and will stop at nothing to punish what she considers to be sinners and heretics alike. Pamela claims not to be a magus and instead claims that her power was nothing more than a gift from God himself.
** Eifer Skute, while appearing to be cool-headed and mature, [[MoodSwinger suffers violent mood swings sometimes]], which results in her sometimes acting out of character and [[UnstoppableRage becoming a rage-obsessed monster at the worst of times]]. She carries seething hatred towards Freudia[[spoiler:, and for good reason; it is later revealed that she is a homunculus created by Iris, using Freu as a template. By the time the entirety of Schwarzkreuz is defeated, Eifer reveals herself as TheMole and badly injures her own captain with a backstab attack, revealing that she's been working with Iris all along]].
** Schirach Fühler was formerly a member of RKS and had been absent without leave for years. Joining Schwarzkreuz, she's an AffablyEvil BoisterousBruiser of a BloodKnight who assists with the Church's witch hunts, and she's also heavily regarded as [[ThatOneBoss one of the toughest bosses]] in Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel. That, and she also introduces herself in Freudia's story by using a crane to kidnap Tia.
** Recht & Link Refraktia, a pair of nuns, are part of Schwarzkreuz; both assist the organization with its witch-hunts. Recht is introverted and dislikes interacting with others, while Link will subject those who threaten her in any way to the full extent of her fury.
** [[spoiler:Iris herself is the overall BigBad of the entire Rosenkreuzstilette franchise. She may be a little girl, but she kickstarted RKS's coup against the Holy Empire solely for her twisted amusement, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness kills her own father after she deems him useless]], pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit on Grolla in Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert, and manipulates Schwarzkreuz and the Church's witch hunts alongside her [[TheDragon dragon Eifer]]. She also forces Freu to fight against a BrainwashedAndCrazy Spiritia. She is also one of two reincarnations of Rosenkreuz, born with his wealth of power and intellect, and [[AGodAmI is not above claiming to have become a god because of it]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'', Morte dances along the line between this and straight-up ActionGirl for a good part of the game, eventually deciding she prefers being heroic while still not quite losing her BloodKnight tendencies.
* ''VideoGame/SepterraCore'' has Selina, who apparently goes back and forth between this and ActionGirl a couple of times throughout the game.
%%* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': Risky Boots, the villainous pirate captain.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** She may be of neutral [[CharacterAlignment alignment]], but Rouge the Bat qualifies for this.
** Blaze the Cat also was one for most of ''VideoGame/SonicRush''.
* The VideoGame/SoulSeries has a few. Tira is the best example, completely insane and just loves to kill. [[spoiler:She also killed Sophitia and corrupted her daughter Phyrra into the local DarkMagicalGirl.]] Ivy is one but on the good side... just a good side that doesn't care about all the other good sides.
* Sarah Kerrigan, post-infestation, in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' and ''VideoGame/StarCraftII''. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Queen of Blades]], ruler of the Zerg swarm, ManipulativeBastard, and [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] extraordinaire. In the aftermath of the Overmind's death, she manages, through grit, will, and a burning need for vengeance, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to exact bloody revenge on all her enemies]] and establish herself as the de facto ruler of not only the Zerg swarm, but also the entire Kroprulu sector (see quote at the top of the page). At the start of ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'', the entire sector lives in fear of her inevitable return.
** She partially evolves beyond this in her chapter of the game, mainly because the swarm is fleshed out more giving her more people to interact with. Very much keeps the "Action" part, though - it's a rare mission she doesn't personally involve herself in.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** [[BloodKnight Juri Han]] from ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Super Street Fighter IV]]''. Notable because the vast majority of playable female characters in the games are on the side of good.
** Also, Cammy and the Dolls ''used'' to be Dark Action Girls, as Bison's {{brainwashed}} BodyguardBabes. Cammy has a full HeelFaceTurn once her inner humanity is unlocked. [[spoiler: In the case of the other Dolls, however, it's not that easy: they suffer ''heavy'' physical and mental consequences, and at least one of them (Julia a.k.a. Juli) has become an EmptyShell due to it. (Though another, Juni, is in her path to recovery after waking up from a coma, so not all hopes are lost.)]]
** The cynical, sexy, and ''very'' pragmatic Crimson Viper fits in as well. [[spoiler: Subverted, actually: she's [[TheMole a genuine]] ActionGirl ''posing'' as a Dark Action Girl. While cold to the other warriors, she still has a kinder side that she shows to [[MoralityPet her daughter Lauren]].]]
** And in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', we meet another: [[spoiler: Decapre, the only Doll aside of Cammy who remains fully active. Even more so: she is ''a clone of Cammy'']].
* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' has a few of these, along with several heroic {{Action Girl}}s. Notable Dark Action Girls, however, include;
** Legretta, Arietta, and Nebilim from ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''.
** Pronyma from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''. Sheena starts out as this, but, before long, undergoes a HeelFaceTurn and loses the "Dark" part.
** [[spoiler:Elraine and Fortuna]] from ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny 2'', [[spoiler:the BigBad and GreaterScopeVillain respectively]].
** [[spoiler:Emeraude]] and the [[spoiler:Fodora]] Queen from ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'', the [[spoiler:GreaterScopeVillain[=/=][[TheHeavy Heavy]]]] and second BigBad respectively.
** Melanie and Schwartz from ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', a [[TheEmpire Vaclav]] enforcer and the BigBad of the Character Arcs, respectively.
** Gauche and Droite from ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia''.
** Agria from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. Very much AxCrazy and a pyromaniac.
* [[TheBaroness Izebel]] from ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2''. She's strong enough to beat up any member of your party. And there's no DesignatedGirlFight. She's seen taking on [[TheHero Hamil]] in the opening movie, while it's Laelius who takes on [[ActionGirl Tarte]].
* From ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', we have Anna and Nina Williams, both assassins. Surprisingly Anna is more moral than Nina, and was willing to settle down and live a peaceful life. Until ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' when her sister Nina [[spoiler: infiltrates her sister's wedding and kills her husband at the altar while wearing Anna's own wedding dress... cue a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]].
* Jeala from ''VideoGame/ThousandArms'' is a loyal servant of [[spoiler:Schmidt, the Dark Master]].
* ''VideoGame/TimeAllThingsComeToAnEnd'' has a time travelling villainess who shoots and strangles her way through history.
* ''VideoGame/VacantSky'' has Sandarga, who DoesntLikeGuns presumably because she'd rather tear people to shreds close up, and will kill anyone who annoys her (which is most people).
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'':
** Selvaria Bles is practically invincible, and she has ''zero'' interest in serving anyone else but the BigBad, Maximillian. Her virtue, however, is due to loyalty, not due to for sheer lulz and evil.
** Shocktrooper Jane Turner. Note that she's ''[[TokenEvilTeammate on the good guy's side]]''.
* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', if your character is female. No matter the clan or how nice she may be, she ''is'' still a blood-sucking monster who preys on mortals, which qualifies her as "dark" even if she's not evil. And she kicks ass, a whole lot of it. By the end of the game, she can have been directly responsible for wiping out the [[spoiler: LA Sabbat and the LA Kuei-Jin, as well as one petulant rogue Prince]] pretty much single-handedly. Seduction is also a possible part of her arsenal (especially if Toreadore), and more than a few of her dialogue options fall under the DeadpanSnarker category.
* Cetsa from ''VideoGame/TheWayRPGMaker'' qualifies, being the leader of the Blue Scarves.
* Rubi Malone from ''VideoGame/{{Wet}}'' easily outshines, or outdarkens, [[WesternAnimation/KimPossible Shego]]. Let's see, she's a GunsAkimbo, HardDrinkingPartyGirl PsychoForHire, spends half the game on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, goes into an UnstoppableRage when the blood of some mook she shoots gets on her face, and has a penchant for the GroinAttack, using a gun or a sword. Oh, she wears a SlasherSmile during these last two actions. And she's voiced by [[Creator/ElizaDushku Faith.]] Put it this way, she is far too dark to ever be a Disney Villain.
* ''{{VideoGame/Whiplash}}'': Most of the female Genron employees, with the exception of the female scientists, are very athletic and skilled in martial arts. The company itself is evil because it runs by abusing animals.
* The ''VideoGame/WildArms'' series:
** Lady Harken from ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' is the only female Quarter Knight, and uses a SinisterScythe to cut down her foes, and [[spoiler: threaten [[MadScientist Alhazad]] when he starts hitting on her.]]
** Antenora from ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' mixes this trope with TheVamp as, not only is she a capable fighter, she [[spoiler: has spent a good amount of time seducing her boss Vinsfield, so when she is finally killed by the heroes, he'll know exactly what it feels like to lose someone you love to violence.]]
* From ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** Sylvanas Windrunner is THE dark action girl. Banshee Queen, Dark Queen of the Forsaken, Dark Ranger...she's basically a Dark Lord who just happens to work for the Horde, although Garrosh sees it in action in Silverpine when she raises new Forsaken from the Alliance dead. She fundamentally hates all of the living, except possibly her two sisters, and is only biding her time until she can kill everyone. She's starting with the Alliance of course, because they refused to believe her when she said she wanted to kill Arthas back during ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', but nobody is really under the illusion that she isn't going to kill everyone in the Horde that isn't Forsaken.
** Jaina Proudmoore, after the gigantic amount of BreakTheCutie ''Mists'' expansion dropped on her. She is a NominalHero as Sylvanas is, and just so happens to rule an entire city of mages. Before that EstablishingCharacterMoment in Theramore, she was a naive peace-seeking girl... who could hold her own against Arthas. Now that her BerserkButton has been pressed so hard that it broke, the only thing stopping her from literally drowning Orgrimmar in a massive deluge and exterminating the orcish race is {{Love Interest|s}} Kalec and the orders of King Varian.
** ''Legion'' created another pair of these in Tyrande Whisperwind and First Arcanist Thalyssra. Both are WellIntentionedExtremists, who while not exactly evil are [[NominalHero very unwilling to listen to criticism of their point of view]]. ''Battle For Azeroth'' then has Sylvanas press Tyrande's BerserkButton, by destroying Teldrassil (despite ''Cataclysm'' revealing that Teldrassil [[VillainHasAPoint was not really a very good idea in the first place]]). The results are... explosive.
** This franchise also has Maiev Shadowsong, Sally Whitemane, and Lillian Voss. Maiev zigzags the line between WellIntentionedExtremist and KnightTemplar. Her intention is genuinely to protect Azeroth, but she pretty easily allows herself to be manipulated into hunting someone whose intention is also ''genuinely to protect Azeroth''. Sally Whitemane truly wants to save Lordaeron from the Scourge, but ends up getting played by a Dreadlord. It's arguable whether her attempt to "redeem" herself is really going to work, given that she ends up working for an omnicidal god. Lillian Voss is perhaps the most well-adjusted of these three, which is saying something since she was abused by her father (think Thanos, but a priest) and suffered a [[HeroicBSoD breakdown]] upon discovering that she was undead. She is still a completely remorseless assassin who is perfectly happy to kill anybody that Sylvanas tells her to without knowing a single thing about them. She draws the line at brainwashing though, because that's how her father abused her.
* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' has some.
** Depending on your gameplay style, it's possible to play [[VillainProtagonist Ayano "Yandere-chan" Aishi]] as one. This is especially true if the player decides to build up her Strength stat, join the Martial Arts club, and/or use primarily violent elimination methods on the rivals. She can also join a [[JapaneseDelinquents group of delinquents]], which has its benefits and drawbacks.
** One of the rivals late into the game is the leader of the delinquent gang, Osoro Shidesu, who is openly stated to be "the strongest student", and was suspended from the school until her week. Since she is an official rival, the player will have to find a way to deal with her too.
** It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:Ayano's mother Ryoba]] was one back in the day. While she seems more like someone who favors [[ManipulativeBitch the subtle approach]], she is responsible for the death of the Phantom Girl through stabbing (and implicitly others). She and her husband are out of town because [[spoiler:she's tracking down the Journalist who almost brought her to justice years ago]]. WordOfGod also says that a 1980s mode is planned, [[AnotherSideAnotherStory where the player can play as her]] using similar abilities as Ayano. [[spoiler:WordOfGod also states that all Aishi women are {{Yandere}} in some way or another, making it likely there's a few more in the family tree.]]
** "Mission Mode" introduces a character referred to only by "Nemesis," who will track Ayano down and stab her to death the second she gets close enough. Her motivations are currently unclear, but the fact that Info-chan, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness of all characters]], [[OhCrap freaks out]] when she realizes that she's in close vicinity makes it clear that you should stay away from her as long as possible. By the way, she's also a MasterOfDisguise.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The group Jaegers from ''Manga/AkameGaKill'' has several female members.
** The leader of the group is [[OneManArmy General Esdeath]], AnIcePerson who can freeze time itself with her powers, and is understandably hailed as the "Empire's Strongest."
** [[{{Yandere}} Kurome]] is [[SiblingRivalry the sister of the titular Akame]], an excellent swordswoman who can control PeoplePuppets with her sword.
** [[AxCrazy Seryu]] is a cyborg with BlackAndWhiteInsanity and numerous armaments that she had willfully implanted in her body. She is fanatically dedicated to killing criminals in the name of "justice."
* Mirror Zero of ''Anime/{{Albegas}}'' is the TokenGirl of the Dellinger military, and on top of being a spy who gathers information for the Dellingers, she conducts operations and pilots mechanical fighters herself.
* Annie Leonhart of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' has shades of this, being a cold and cynical soldier who enlists in the infamously corrupt Military Police Brigade, abandoning her FireForgedFriends without a second thought. [[spoiler: She's also one of the Titan Shifter [[TheMole spies]], and her rampage as the Female Titan leaves scores of veteran soldiers dead.]] She turns out to be a more complicated case, hinted to be a BrokenBird with serious Daddy Issues. [[spoiler: WordOfGod explicitly states she isn't inherently evil, though it's hard to deny that she's a {{Sadist}} that likes to get.....creative with her kills. When Eren and Armin attempt to talk to her, she goes on one final city-smashing rampage before encasing herself in a CrystalPrison, denying the military the chance to learn her secrets.]]
** Mikasa Ackerman actually has some darker shades, too. She develops over the course of the series and obviously holds some strong morals dear to her, but as soon as Eren is in danger she is willing to slice up pretty much anyone, friend or foe without a second thought to protect him. While most others join the Survey Corps to actually fight for mankind, Mikasa couldn't care less if Eren hadn't joined.
* A brief glimpse of Caerula Sanguis' distant past in Volume 9 of ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita: Last Order'' shows that when she was part of the Chinese Triads, she was very much an example of this trope. After meeting Victor Byron, however, she softens a little. She softens further after meeting John Farrell in Volume 8, to the point that she became something of a HeroSecretService, [[spoiler: at first against Victor, to protect John Farrell's grandson, Arthur]], eventually extending her protection to the whole of humanity.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' only has about two. The first and one who engaged in the most fighting is [[TragicMonster Rosine]], an insect girl Apostle who gave even [[LightningBruiser Guts]] the fight of his life especially when she went OneWingedAngel. The second is [[PhysicalGod Slan]] of the [[GodOfEvil God Hand]] although her "[[CurbStompBattle fight]]" with Guts wasn't very long and [[CombatSadomasochist she only got turned on]] by his attacks.
* ''Manga/BirdyTheMighty'': Moss from Decode's second season, to the point of being the most badass of the fugitives. Undine may count as well, if "girl" is the right way to describe her.
* Grell Sutcliff of ''Manga/BlackButler'' is a UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} woman who, in battle, uses a chainsaw and [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence takes sexual pleasure]] in fighting Sebastian. She's later revealed to be [[spoiler:at least a half of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper and Madame Red's accomplice in murdering the prostitutes]].
* ''Manga/BlackClover'':
** Fana is one of the strongest members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Her Flame Magic lets her unleash incredibly destructive fire and she's implacable and merciless towards the ones she loathes. Gaining her hatred is an easy action.
** Vanica is the only female member of the [[BigBadDuumvirate Dark Triad]] and the host of a powerful devil. She's a maniacal BloodKnight who enjoys fighting strong enemies with childish glee, ordering her underlings to attack civilians just to rile up her foes. She uses BloodMagic to fight, overpowering her opponents even at a disadvantage, and turns more demonic as she expends higher percentages of her devil Megicula's power.
* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'':
** Revy is a [[VillainProtagonist Protagonist]] version of this, a deadly gun slinger who would likely go on a killing spree ForTheEvulz if not for Dutch and Rock. [[CharacterDevelopment She gets a bit better though]] with Rock's help.
** Balalaika was also one before she graduated to TheBaroness of Hotel Moscow, having been a sinister soldier sniper for the Soviets during the Afghan War.
** By volume 10 ''Black Lagoon'' is pretty much a [[WorldOfActionGirls World of Dark Action Girls]]. These range from [[NinjaMaid Roberta]] of whom we see a [[TheStoic robotic]] and an AxCrazy version on separate occasions, [[PunchClockVillain mercenaries who do it for the money]] like Shenhua and Sawyer to outright psychopaths like [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Gretel]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' has many with its large cast.
** Several Arrancar in Aizen's army are, namely Tier Harribel, who is the Third and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only female member]] of the Espada and a reserved yet deadly fighter. Her AmazonBrigade Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun, and Cirucci Sanderwicci, a rude and cocky bitch, are as well.
** The Vandereich have Bambietta Basterbine, a BloodKnight with a CommissarCap and ZettaiRyouiki, who is seen [[BloodKnight gleefully joining]] the Seiteirei invasion and cheerfully [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe bisecting]] almost everyone in her way. Her next big appearance involved her slicing a guy in half in a moment of frustration after asking him to have sex with her.
** Bambietta's gal-pals fit in here pretty well, too. Specifically Candice Catnipp, who fries [[spoiler: Kenpachi]] with her PsychoElectro powers and later attacks [[spoiler: Ichigo]] in the most HotBlooded way. Aside of that Liltotto Lamperd [[ImAHumanitarian stretches her mouth to eat her enemies]], and Meninas Macallon [[CuteBruiser cutely]] [[SuperStrength drops entire buildings on hers]].
** [[spoiler:Yachiru Unohana]] was one of these way back in the day. She was Soul Society's most brutal fighter and even today [[TheDreaded she is widely feared]] as Soul Society's most infamous criminal. The only reason she wasn't executed was because Soul Society wanted her on their side.
* Saori, Kikako and Mako Fujisaki/Valkyria from ''Manga/BrynhildrInTheDarkness''. Saori can cut people into pieces, Kikako has a powerful BreathWeapon, and Valkyria has an arsenal of powers that can kill people. And she's the one who actually enjoys killing.
* N'rala/Nurara from "Captain Future"... as far as the zeitgeist allowed it. The Captain once [[WouldHitAGirl floored her with a karate chop]] and commented "You're just a woman after all".
* Although Rizelle of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' prefers to use [[PeoplePuppets her powers]] to get other people to do her dirty work for her, when confronted by [[ActionGirl Rosette]], she proves herself to be one of these, using her [[RazorFloss marionette strings]] and FemmeFatalons to cause a massive amount of ({{clothing|Damage}}) damage in the process.
* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', as a WorldOfActionGirls, has its Dark Action Girls.
** [[TheOphelia Ophelia]] is a [[AxCrazy complete lunatic]] obsessed with taking lives. She even kills her own fellow Claymores. [[spoiler: She would have killed Claire if Irene hadn't intervened, which lead Ophelia to beg her dearly departed brother to protect her, while alone in the woods, and then moving to a hateful and (at least in the anime version) [[ClusterFBomb profanity-flooded]] monologue that ended with three F-bombs before "awakening".]]
** Also the even worse Roxanne, a ManipulativeBastard and PsychoLesbian who, while she was still alive, would stalk powerful Claymores until she learned their technique and kill them when she was done doing so, allowing her to rise to the rank of Number 1.
** Then there's [[BigBad Priscilla]]. ''The'' most powerful Awakened Being in the series due to her intense hatred, she's arrogant, calm, and ''brutal''. Just after Awakening she killed Teresa, and has the vast power to utterly trash [[spoiler:Alicia and Beth, Riful's daughter, and numerous Abyssal Ones]].
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' gives us [[LadyOfWar Cornelia li Britannia]], an especially cruel version of this trope. Her first appearance has her piloting a modified Gloucester into the heart of an enemy base as she [[IShallTauntYou belittles them]] and effortlessly takes them down. Despite her skill, however, she is no match for the likes of [[AcePilot Kallen Kozuki]], who can easily outfight her. Despite this, Cornelia is still fully capable outside of a Knightmare, having frightening swordsmanship skills.
** The female members of the [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Knights of the Round]] also qualify, if only by their alignment. So do Valkyrie Squadron, [[SociopathicSoldier Luciano Bradley]]'s AmazonBrigade.
** [[TheBaroness Villetta Nu]] also counts, but as a lesser example. While she is a capable pilot, she is rather ineffectual compared to the true aces of the show and is little better than an [[EliteMooks elite mook]] in a custom-painted Sutherland.
* [=LadyDevimon=] from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' was thrown in, apparently at the last minute, as one of these. The only reason for this, however, appeared to be to set up an EvilCounterpart with whom Angewomon could have a CatFight, complete with slapping and hair-pulling. They even brought her back in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' just to repeat the process.
* Even if you put non-canon material into consideration, ''Franchise/DragonBall'' only has about six- Launch in her [[SplitPersonality blonde side]] ([[TookALevelInKindness before she got better]]), Hasky a female mercenary who works for the Red Ribbon army, Colonel Violet who managed to escape Red Ribbon army's destruction, Android 18 from [[BadFuture Future Trunks' timeline]], Fasha the Saiyan warrioress from ''Anime/DragonBallZBardockTheFatherOfGoku'' ([[PunchClockVillain although her evilness is debatable]]), Zangya from the 9th movie ''Anime/DragonBallZBojackUnbound'' and Towa the evil scientist demon from ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse''.
** The Android 18 of the main timeline could be considered one as well, before her HeelFaceTurn.
* ''Manga/DrStone'': Homura appears to be Tsukasa's very own version of [[ActionGirl Kohaku]]; one of the first things she does is prove her worth by ''[[EstablishingCharacterMoment nearly burning down the whole village]]''. The jury's still out on whether or not she's really all that bad though; Senku seems to believe that they can convert her to his side with the allure of creature comforts that science can create.
* The VillainProtagonist Lucy/[[spoiler:Kaede]] from ''Manga/ElfenLied''. Mariko and [[spoiler:her four clones]], too. All of them have Vectors that can cut people into pieces.
%%* Anemone from ''Anime/EurekaSeven''. [[spoiler: Unlike most Dark Action Girls, she ends up being an AntiVillain.]]
* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has several.
** Ikaruga, a reserved and proud assassin who uses her katana to send slashes through the air that slice through all of Erza's armors as she tries to slaughter her, qualifies.
** Erza Nightwalker, Erza Scarlet's Edolas counterpart and a SociopathicSoldier who fought Scarlet to a draw before a HeelFaceTurn, definitely counts.
** Flare Corona, a [[AxCrazy deranged]] woman of the [[SmugSnake Raven Tail]] [[EvilCounterpart guild]] who has a constant [[SlasherSmile creepy grin on her face]], is willing to resort to dirty tactics to win (like [[WouldHurtAChild taking a child as a hostage]]) and is sadistic towards her enemies, trying to humiliate them at every chance she has. [[spoiler: After Raven Tail is dissolved, she however pulls a HeelFaceTurn and reveals her previous behavior was a result of the influence of the guild on her, revealing being shy and good natured without them. [[CreepyGood She's still a bit creepy despite that, however.]]]]
** Minerva Orland is the cruel {{Ojou}} of Sabertooth who gives Lucy a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and tortures Millianna. Then after losing to Erza, she leaves to join a Dark Guild. After that she joins [[TheDreaded Tartaros]], but then [[spoiler:pulls a HeelFaceTurn]].
** Kyôka of Tartaros, the head of the Nine Demon Gates, is first introduced callously disregarding the people she killed who could not handle her [[MagicEnhancement Curse]], terrifying fellow Dark Action Girl Minerva. A {{Dominatrix}} and {{Sadist}}, her ColdBloodedTorture was enough to break ''Erza'', whom she later matches blow for blow and came very close to defeating.
** Seilah is a fellow member of Tartaros who calmly uses her [[PeoplePuppets Macro]] to command Elfman to destroy the Fairy Tail Guild, nearly killing everyone inside. She then shows herself to be a {{Yandere}} when she wants to kill Lisanna because she was embarrassed in front of Kyôka, and then kicks Mirajane's ass and nearly kills her.
** The Albareth Empire arc gives us the absolutely ''ruthless'' [[TimeMaster Dimaria Yesta]]. On top of being a MasterSwordsman who enjoys taking her time to cut off her opponents' clothes to humiliate them, she's more than willing to kill Wendy and Sherria, [[WouldHurtAChild who were no older than around 13-14]], for opposing the Empire. [[spoiler:It's best [[PlayingWithATrope played straight]] when she gets furious over Ultear's thought projection interfering with her Age Seal (which freezes time), and reverts to her PhysicalGod form, shooting Carla through the ribs and torturing Wendy with an AgonyBeam that makes her experience ''all the pain she's ever felt throughout her entire life''. If it weren't for Sherria's God-Slaying magic and receiving Third Origin from Ultear ([[DeadlyUpgrade a spell that greatly increases one's magic power, at the cost of never being able to use magic again]]) to defeat Dimaria, she, Wendy, and Carla surely would have been killed.]]
* Gavrill Madaraki from ''Manga/FrankenFran'', the almost-invincible shapeshifting leader of an army of pillaging thugs.
* Lust from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. Beautiful, cruel, and seductive, she's the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only female]] of the Homunculi and uses her FemmeFatalons as penetrating spears. Her "lust" is one for violence and murder.
* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', Lady Salome uses robots and fairies to fight Kim and Michel.
* ''Anime/GunXSword'''s Fasalina, who (unlike the only other girl in her group, Melissa, who was merely confused) fully embraced the methods of The Claw and, most of the time, puts up a damn good fight against the heroes.
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has plenty of female baddies:
** Kycilia Zabi of the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' is a Dark Action Girl[=/=]LadyOfWar cross of this trope.
** [[AxCrazy Four]] [[SuperSoldier Murasame]] of ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' is a Dark Action Girl[=/=]{{Tykebomb}} blend.
*** Subverted by Rosamia Badam from ''Zeta Gundam'' and Stella Loussier from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny''. They both look and act like this trope at first, but soon we find out that they're both actually a pair of [[PsychopathicWomanchild damaged womanchilds]] when not fighting.
** Other Dark Action Girls include [[BigBad Haman Karn]] of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]'', who's probably one of the most dangerous pilots in the entire franchise as well as a MagnificentBitch par excellence. Also from ''Zeta'' are [[{{Yandere}} Sarah Zabiarov]], Lila Milla Rira, Mouar Pharaoh, and [[spoiler:Reccoa Londe]].
** Then, ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'' gives us several. We have Lupe Cineau, Fuala Griffon, Renda de Baroma (an AntiVillain version, as well as the female half of BattleCouple with ColonelBadass Duker Iq), and '''especially''' [[spoiler: the FaceHeelTurn-ed Katejina Loos]].
** [[ColonelBadass Nastasha Zabigov]] from ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'' is one of the few ''not'' villainous examples. While she does pose a threat to Domon at first, she later winds up becoming a staunch ally.
** Dorothy Catalonia and Lady Une of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]''. The former's a BloodKnight and TheStrategist with latent DeathSeeker tendencies, the latter's TheBaroness, TheDragon, and a PsychoSupporter to BigBad Treize Khushreneda, whom she does most of the dirty work for. Both of them prefer to avoid physical combat, but when forced to fight, are quite competent, with Une being a crack shot and a capable pilot, while Dorothy is absolutely lethal with a rapier.
** [[CuteAndPsycho Nena Trinity]] from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'', though she's more of a ''Dark Female Gundam Pilot''... and unfortunately a sore pilot at that. Considering that [[HateSink Nena]] has only actually been able to kill stationary (like [[ForTheEvulz the wedding]]) or otherwise helpless (like [[spoiler: [[AssholeVictim Wang Liu Mei]]'s shuttle]]) targets, she could actually qualify as a FauxActionGirl rather than a Dark Action Girl. Or rather, a Faux Dark Action Girl. The fact that [[spoiler:Louise Halevy eventually kills her in [[CurbStompBattle a brutally one-sided fight]] certainly doesn't help matters]]. Even moreso, Throne Drei is built specifically for [[MissionControl stealth and support purposes]], therefore, asking it to actually kick ass is like sending in a {{squishy|Wizard}} [[WhiteMage cleric]] to deal with tough, frontline enemies that can deal a lot of damage.
*** Also, we may be able to include [[SuperSoldier Soma Peries]] and [[spoiler:[[BrokenBird Louise Halevy]]]] (from the second season on).
*** Hiling Care of the Innovators ''definitely'' qualifies for this, both inside and outside of a mobile suit. She technically lost [[spoiler:against the 00 Raiser]], but she did put up a big fight with her Garazzo.
** Carta Issue of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' appears to be this on the first glance, except she's an [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Ineffectual Sympathetic]] AntiVillain. While she is capable of mopping up her foes if an opportunity is given, she frequently loses miserably because of her [[TalkingIsAFreeAction obsession with honour]]. This does her no good since her foes are [[CombatPragmatist combat pragmatists]] that have no qualms about killing their opponents when their guard is down. [[TooDumbToLive Carta repeated this mistake a whopping three times]], [[spoiler:and the last instance led to her death]].
* Zorin Blitz and Rip Van Winkle from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. Both are Nazi Vampires that enjoy death and destruction.
* ''Manga/HeroTales'' has Shouka, powerful enough to put an entire town under her rule. Suffers The Worf Effect when Housei fights her with a mundane bow and beats her.
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' has Belarus, a ClingyJealousGirl and BoisterousBruiser who skirts the line between this and ActionGirl. [[GirlWithPsychoWeapon She has been known to carry around knives]] and, while '''not''' villainous (she's more childish and extremely jealous/obsessive than evil), is often portrayed as having darker motives than the other {{Action Girl}}s in the series, plus she has a HairTriggerTemper and exhibits strange behavior.
* Kyala from ''Anime/HighlanderTheSearchForVengeance'' qualifies for this. She is an immortal, who was a soldier in Japan in the sixteenth century. She is a badass fighter, and at the same time a cruel sadist.
* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'': Before [[ZombieApocalypse the outbreak]], Saeko Busujima was the captain of her school's Kendo Club, so she was already proficient with a sword. Then [[NotUsingTheZWord "They"]] came, which gave her the perfect excuse to use it - 'cuz Saeko is an AxCrazy BloodKnight, who [[OrgasmicCombat literally gets off]] ''[[InterplayOfSexAndViolence on violence.]]'' Which she openly confessed to Takashi, when she told him how she'd once beaten a would-be rapist within an inch of his life... and enjoyed it. Not because he tried to rape her, but because of [[SexIsViolence the euphoric glee she got from beating the ever living sh*t out of someone]] without restraint. And she's '''[[CuteAndPsycho GOOD]]''' at it. Which is why Takashi's glad she's on ''their'' side and regards her as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg-VEeYhvL4 a necessary evil.]]
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Kagura started off as this and eventually [[HeelFaceTurn softened]] via CharacterDevelopment into an AloofAlly of the good guys that fitted the [[IceQueen cynical]] version of a {{Heel Face Turn}}ed Dark Action Girl; strictly speaking, she was a Dark Action Girl due to being enslaved to the BigBad, which made her a BrokenBird as well.
* Satsuki Kiryūin from ''Anime/KillLaKill'' TheRival [[spoiler: and [[CainAndAbel sister]]]] to the protagonist Ryūko definitely qualifies. She's an extremely powerful Dark Action Girl whose FightingSpirit alone could down a 500 hundred men and [[MasterSwordsman wields]] a black blade [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]] [[CoolSword Bakuzan]] which matches Ryūko's {{BFS}} [[ShearMenace scissors]] all while being powered by [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman Junketsu]]. [[spoiler: After being freed from her mother [[EvilMatriarch Ragyō]]'s influence she becomes the {{Deuteragonist}}]].
* ''Manga/LegendOfHeavenlySphereShurato'': Nara-oh Renge. Ability-wise, as she's very ruthless in battle and has the skills to back it up. Returns to being an Action Girl on the side of good when she's Back from the Dead.
* Since DefeatMeansFriendship, there are only a few female characters from ''Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' who ''still'' are Dark Action Girls:
** Subverted with Presea Testarossa from the [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha first season]]. Despite being one of most powerful known mages and the BigBad of that season, she is TheUnfought.
** From ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', Tre and Sette are the only two of the still imprisoned Numbers who fill the action part. And Due, who is one of the two darkest Numbers, is KilledOffForReal.
*** Ironically, the other one of the two darkest Numbers ([[TheSociopath Quattro]]) lacks the action part.
** The Mariage from ''AudioPlay/StrikersSoundStageX'' are almost literal {{Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot}}s who kill and eat people and infect the corpses to turn them into new Mariages.
** From ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'', the three fighting female members of the Hückebein family fit this trope: Curren, Cypha and Arnage. Arnage is the PerkyFemaleMinion, Cypha is AxCrazy BloodKnight who almost killed Signum in their first fight, and Curren is [[BigBad the leader]], a MoodSwinger and the first thing she did when she appeared in the series is impaling Hayate [[InTheBack from behind]].
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has a load of bait-and-switch Dark Action Girls who [[FauxActionGirl sometimes don't live up to their initial posturing]] or pull a whiplash-inducing HighHeelFaceTurn, but the standout is Tayuya, the flute-playing, SirSwearsALot genjutsu expert of the Sound Four, who easily cows her AxCrazy coworkers, punches out the eponymous hero, and demonstrates, perhaps better than anyone in the series, save Uchiha Itachi, why genjutsu is ''not'' the "soft" one of the three main ninja skill sets. She then goes toe to toe with Shikamaru, the smartest guy in the whole series, and proceeds to back him into a corner and break his nigh-unbreakable binding jutsu with sheer brute force and bloody-mindedness. The only thing that stops her is having a forest dropped on her courtesy of Temari, a badass ActionGirl whose idea of a "cat fight" is breaking her opponent's spine and then tossing them across the room.
* Evangeline from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', before her HeelFaceTurn. Not that she'd [[{{Tsundere}} ever admit to having made one]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has its fair share, from Miss Double Finger (and arguably Miss Merry Christmas) to Kalifa. Boa Hancock initially appeared to be this, but mellowed out over time (though she can still be cruel to enemies). The sole female member of the [[ThePsychoRangers Blackbeard Pirates]], Catarina Devon, counts. The Wano arc adds Ulti and Black Maria from ArcVillain Kaido's [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Flying Six]]. The strongest Dark Action Girl is of course Pirate Emperor Big Mom who's equal to Kaido in being a PersonOfMassDestruction.
* The titular character of ''Literature/Overlord2012'' Satoru Suzuki/Momonga has multiple Dark Action Girls under his command, most notably his two main love interests, his [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon elegant and beautiful, but barely stable and cutthroat]] AxCrazy [[TheDragon second-in-command]] Albedo, and the CuteAndPsycho vampire and guardian of the Nazarick's first three floors Shalltear Bloodfallen, both of which are among if not ''the'' best fighters on their side, as well as there most evil.
** Another member of the guardians is Aura Bella Fiora a tomboyish dark elf, TheBeastmaster, and co-guardian of the sixth floor with her [[PolarOppositeTwins twin brother]] Mare Bello Fiore.
** For an example not on their side, we have Clementine, a boisterous and sadistic BloodKnight who enjoys brutally killing anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path with a big SlasherSmile on her face.
** There is also The Pleiades, who with the exception of their leader [[BadassInANiceSuit Sebas]], are a squad consisting entirely of {{Ninja Maid}}s, meant to serve as The Great Tomb of Nazarick's and its leader's last line of defense if the guardians failed.
* Sabrina and Lorelei of ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Interestingly enough, both of them have joined forces with the protagonists at some point due to an EnemyMine situation; in fact, Sabrina does so ''against'' Lorelei.
* Every female villain in the ''Anime/PrettyCure franchise'' does count to a degree, but the most outstanding example is [[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure Dark Precure]], who doesn't rely on [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]].
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has [[{{Jerkass}} Ky]][[FieryRedhead ouko]] [[PsychoForHire Sakura]]. She [[CharacterDevelopment gets]] [[TookALevelInKindness better]], to the point of even [[spoiler:pulling a MercyKill[=/=]HeroicSacrifice so that Sayaka (who she has become very sympathetic toward) doesn't have to [[DyingAlone die alone]], even admitting that part of the reason she became a MagicalGirl in the first place was because she wanted to protect someone]].
* Early in ''Literature/ReZero'' the major threat is Elsa Granhiert. She's a polite raven-haired beauty with [[{{Stripperiffic}} exceptionally eccentric]] fashion sense. She is also a ruthless assassin with a disturbing appreciation for the beauty of her enemies' guts and the combat skills to put up a decent fight against one of the most powerful knights in the kingdom.
-->'''Elsa:''' If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws. If I lose my claws, I'll use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I'll use my life.
* Pirotess from ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'', a female dark elf who serves as the villainous counterpart to the high elf on the heroes' side, Deedlit.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTanyaTheEvil'' has the titular character [[VillainProtagonist Lt. Tanya Degurechaff]], possibly one of if not the youngest examples of this trope, at only around ''[[ChildSoldiers ten years old]]''. Yet on the battlefields of an alternate version of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, she is one of the most powerful and ruthless soldiers you could ever have the misfortune of meeting, even earning herself the nickname ''[[RedBaron The Devil of The Rhine]]''. Tanya is a mage born with an incredibly high amount of power, that makes blasting through entire companies of enemy mages, ground soldiers, planes, and artillery a breeze, not that she won't resort to cutting her enemies open with her bayonet and even ''blowing herself up'' if she has to. She is also an extremely ruthless, brilliant, and [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] leader, willing to get her own men killed simply for annoying her and only pretending to care about her troops or country to further her own personal gain.
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** Any of the Sailor Animamates from the last season. Sailor Animamates were the servants of BigBad Sailor Galaxia, who was hunting down Star Seeds/Sailor Crystals across the universe. [[spoiler:They were all once good, but Sailor Senshi become evil when they lose their Sailor Crystals.]]
** The Doom and Gloom Girls, Queen Beryl's last and strongest warriors from the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]], who very nearly succeeded in defeating the Sailor Senshi.
** Also the Ayakashi Sisters, {{Evil Counterpart}}s of the Inner Senshi and pretty competent combatants. [[spoiler: In the anime, however, they have a collective HeelFaceTurn.]]
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' has Ophiuchus Shaina start off as this in the classic series (before undergoing a HighHeelFaceTurn), and a few others like Geist (anime only) who is Shaina's sister, and Mermaid Thethis in the Poseidon saga.
** ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'' features two. The first is Pandora, one of [[CoDragons the dragons]] of Hades who, unlike her counterpart in the original Saint Seiya, gets involved in fights and doesn't fears to face the whole Sanctuary for the sake of her lord. The other is the Specter Behemoth Violate, who is able to fight toe-to-toe with [[FourStarBadass Gold Saints]] with no problem.
** ''Anime/SaintSeiyaOmega'' brings more examples, among the most prominent ones Hornet/Scorpio Sonia, Gemini Paradox, the BigBad from the second season Pallas, and her subordinate, Great Sword Gallia.
* ''Sands of Destruction'' features a couple, though who and to what extent varies by adaptation:
** In [[Manga/SandsOfDestruction the manga]], VillainProtagonist Morte is a gleeful OmnicidalManiac whose favorite things include [[MadBomber bombs]], StuffBlowingUp, and [[BloodKnight hitting things]] with her {{BFS}}.
** In [[Anime/SandsOfDestruction the anime]], Morte softensu into an ActionGirl with a DarkAndTroubledPast, but [[TheGunslinger Rhi'a]] takes her place, preferring to shoot first and not bother to ask questions later. Naturally, the two of them end up fighting quite often, but rather than being a DesignatedGirlFight, it's more about pitting two of the best fighters against each other.
* Karinka from ''Manga/SteelAngelKurumi'' toes the line. She beats another main character, and lives primarily so she can destroy the main character and steal her boyfriend. Oh, yeah, she curses like a sailor, too.
* Adiane from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' beats down an entire brigade on land and [[MoreDeadlyThanTheMale is the most violent and psychotic member of the Beastmen Generals]]. Her Gunmen even brings to mind VaginaDentata.
* The anime ''Manga/TokyoESP'' has several examples.
** Kobushi Kuroi not only has the ability to make herself invisible, but is also a talented boxer. In the course of the plot, however, [[ActionGirl she becomes a heroine]].
** However, her sister Kozuki Kuroi remains evil. She is also a good fighter and has [[PsychicPowers special powers]].
** Lin Lianjie also qualifies, as does Amie Namuro. Both are especially evil.
** The second major villain is Minami Azuma, who also plays this trope.
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' features several of these, all deadly Ghouls that enjoy playing with their food and killing anyone that gets in their way.
** [[VillainousGlutton Binge Eater]] Rize Kamishiro, a serial predator that targets attractive young men and enjoys "gently scrambling" their insides.
** The series ''loves'' [[spoiler:pulling a SamusIsAGirl with its {{Big Bad}}s, with the major threats of the side-stories ''Jack'' and ''Joker'' both revealed to be women]]. Perhaps the greatest example of this in the series is [[spoiler:the legendary HeroKiller, Eto/Sen/the One-Eyed Owl. She is considered the most dangerous Ghoul in Tokyo, a brilliant EvilOverlord, and so powerful that only [[TheAce Arima]], [[TheHero Kaneki]] (eventually), and [[FinalBoss Furuta]] have been able to take her on in battle]].
** The sequel introduces another in the form of [[FemmeFatale Nutcracker]], another deadly fighter with a preference for male victims. [[GroinAttack Guess why they call her that]].
* In ''Manga/YuGiOh Duel Monsters'', Mai Kujaku becomes one in the Doma arc and eventually steals the souls of Pegasus and Jonouchi (though, she has a HeelFaceTurn right after stealing the latter's soul).
* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' has two among the Gun-Ho-Guns: Dominique the Cyclops who gives Vash a genuinely tricky fight thanks to her MagicEye and Elendira the Crimsonnail who has BriefcaseBlaster along with illusion powers and SuperSpeed.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** The two female Seven Stars Assassins, Camula and Tania, are among the four strongest members. Aside from Amnael, they are the only members to win against the Key Guardians, but both of them end up defeated by Judai.
*** Tania is actually a tiger, and she becomes an ally in the third season.
** Asuka becomes one temporarily during the second season when she becomes a member of the [[LightIsNotGood Society of Light]], and she replaces her [[DanceBattler Cyber Girl]] deck for a [[AnIcePerson White Night]] deck.
** If you see the BigBad of the third season, Yubel, [[AmbiguousGender as a girl]], then "she" counts as one. WomanScorned is pretty much the reason for
* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'':
** Aki is one as the Black Rose Witch, a violent and destructive duelist with PsychicPowers, before reconciling with her parents.
** Misty and Carly as Dark Signers. Misty tries to avenge her younger brother's death by trying to kill Aki, the person she thinks is responsible for his death, and nearly defeats her twice. Carly defeats Divine in a duel, in which her final attack sends him falling down a building, nearly killing him, and ''could have'' defeated Jack if not for a HeroicSacrifice.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'':
** Droite starts out as one, although AffablyEvil. She later becomes a regular ActionGirl.
** Merag is the only female member of the Seven Barian Emperors. [[spoiler:To make Rio's FaceHeelTurn more effective, the first crime Merag commits is killing Tetsuo, although she kind of regrets it.]]
[[/folder]]

*** In Book 1, [[EqualOpportunityEvil several female mooks]]. [[TeamNormal Asami Sato]] was originally intended as a SixthRangerTraitor, but instead became purely heroic.

* Most of the main characters in the Creator/ChaosComics universe were these, as they helped kickstart the BadGirlComic craze of UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. The most famous were ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' and ''ComicBook/{{Purgatori}}''.