History Main / JeanneDArchetype

** RareMaleExample in Zero. Lelouch as Zero is TheStrategist and a symbol of the rebellion and resistance against Britannia in Japan and eventually the whole world. He even acknowledges the fact Zero is a "symbol" himself. Like the actual Joan, he's not much of a fighter - at least until he gets his AceCustom that lets him fight using his own personal strengths - and requires others to fight for him but makes up for it by going directly into battle himself and making it very clear he's willing to take risks the same as his soldiers. [[spoiler: This aspect of Zero is taken advantage of when he pulls off the Zero Requiem; which also involves a dark twist on the martyrdom as Lelouch sacrifices himself as a "demon" so the world will seek peace and unite together.]]

* ''Manga/ChoujinX'': In 1923, a 16 year old nun named [[FallenHero Sora Siruha]] received a vision in her sleep of her funeral procession being brutally slaughtered at the hands of Queem, the War Choujin who was engaged in a war of global conquest. Sora attempted to warn her superior, but none of them heeded her prophecies. One day, the exact events Sora predicted came to pass, as Queem massacred her and all the clergy in her procession. In a twist of fate, however, Queem's powers prompted contagion within Sora, causing her to come back to life as a choujin of immense power known as "[[TitleDrop Choujin X]].'' Determined to protect her homeland from Queem's onslaught, at the age of 18 Sora rallied an army against Queem. After a long and brutal war spanning multiple years, Queem was ultimately defeated by Sora and her allies. [[spoiler:In the end, however, Sora is a massive deconstruction of this archetype. Whereas Saint Joan of Arc was a major leader and symbol for her army, she was still seen as a ''servant'' of God. Sora, however, amassed a CultOfPersonality who worshipped and idolized her as though she ''were'' God. This, alongside her own trauma, drug addiction, and declining sanity, instilled within her a messiah complex which caused her to accept her own prophecies as fact without question. These prophecies lead Sora to commit horrid atrocities, up to and including genocide, believing that her own actions are necessary for the greater good. However, it is '''heavily''' implied that Sora's prophecies as she grew older became distorted by her own deluded mind, to the point that they probably aren't even ''true''. Ultimately, despite Sora's good intentions, she inevitably decayed into a tyrant [[HeWhoFightsMonsters no better than her old enemy Queem]].]]

* The Literature/AlienChronicles trilogy draws inspiration from Joan of Arc, with some Spartacus and Literature/BookOfExodus mixed in. The books primarily follows an [[CatFolk Aaroun]] named Ampris, whose species is one of many enslaved by the [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Viis]] and their empire. She is sold into slavery in her infancy, and by chance ends up as pet to the Sri-Kaa (the heir to the Kaa who leads the empire). Living in the palace allows Ampris to acquire a surprisingly solid education, until one of the Sri-Kaa's pranks goes horribly wrong and Ampris is cast out as punishment. With her StockholmSyndrome for the Viis shattered, Ampris winds up forced into a career as a gladiator, [[LadyOfWar and a skilled one at that]]. Over time, she rises through the ranks while secretly building up a resistance movement, [[spoiler: even after a career-ending injury sees her sold to a research facility. There, she undergoes a MedicalRapeAndImpregnate with half-Viis children, before she manages to escape with her two surviving sons.]] Despite the pain, trauma and humiliation she suffers, by the end of the trilogy [[spoiler: she succeeds in leading a large group of slaves to [[ThePromisedLand a secluded paradise world]] to begin a new civilization. However, her numerous injuries and illnesses catch up to her, and she dies surrounded by friends, family and followers shortly after landing.]]

* ''Joan of Montreal'', a one woman comedy special featuring Brigitte Gall, tells the story of a young French-Canadian woman chosen by God to defeat the English by being goalie for the Montreal Canadiens in the last game of the Stanley Cup Final.

** In a way, [[LadyOfWar The Boss]] from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'', although she's older than the usual examples. However, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII she became a military leader at an early age, she fought for her country, and [[spoiler:once the truth about her [[FakeDefector fake defection]] comes out, she can be seen as a martyr.]]

Jeanne d'Archétype is a fictional character inspired by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc Saint Joan]] [[UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc of Arc]].[[note]]Spelled "Jeanne d'Arc" in her native French. [[/note]] This can incorporate various elements of the historical Joan's story. This character is AlwaysFemale, usually young, often an ActionGirl, and often of humble origin. Her devotion to a religion, her country, or simply a desire to protect her loved ones causes her to assume an active role in liberating the oppressed from an overbearing force, eventually becoming not only a respected leader, but also a living symbol and a reminder of just how unjust the oppressors are if they bring out the warrior [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass in the most unlikely of people]]. Therefore, her example directly inspires many otherwise ordinary people to follow in her footsteps and join the same cause.

* Cybil Bennett from ''Film/SilentHill'' although not a leader, has other traits that could spark to mind Joan of Arc. Cybil like Joan is not conventionally feminine (being a rather butch looking police officer with short spiky bangs) and later in the movie defends the Catholic protagonist Rose against The Brethren, a Neo-Manichean religious cult (which also has traits of a witch hunting Protestant church from America's colonial past) after the cult's leader Christabella accuses Rose and her adopted daughter of being a witch (and Cybil by extension, an accomplice to the "witches"). Cybil brought time for Rose to escape through fighting off Christabella's henchman with her baton, but gets brutally beaten up after pulling out her gun which failed to fire as it was empty. Cybil later woke up inside the cult's church tied to the top of a tall wooden ladder opposite Sharon, who witness Cybil getting burnt to death after the cult's followers set her ladder on fire.

* In ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'' Alita is called "Battle Angel", wields a sword, is a righteous avenger, in the frame of a small innocent girl. She is hunted by the corrupt authorities for "disturbing the natural order of things", finds a suit of armor (rather armored body) and proceeds to kick ass with it.

** Laurana in the original ''Chronicles'' trilogy fits the trope very well. She never intended to be a leader, but after being incomparably badass at the High Clerist's Tower she found herself in command of the Knights of Solamnia and the armies of Palanthas.

* Paladin Pucelle seems to at least aspire to this trope in a very literal way. While intersex rather than strictly female, this controversial content creator is a devout Roman Catholic who wears heavy armour and is evidently trying to help save France from what she perceives as a threat in videos such as this one:
[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv3MFhCm50k&t=101s "C'est un Acte de Guerre"]]

* [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Elenda of Garrano]] from the Ixalan block in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' qualifies as an rare [[ReligiousVampire vampire example]]. Originally a warrior nun charged with retrieving the Immortal Sun, she used dark magic to become a vampire so she could accept the burden of immortality to could fulfill her duty, and founded the [[ChurchMilitant Legion of Dusk]] to continue their search. After going missing in her crusade, her followers eventually became corrupt and formed a [[TheTheocracy theocratic]], [[EvilEmpire oppressive and ever-expanding empire]] while still holding her as their inspiring saint. [[spoiler:She eventually returns and becomes mortified to learn the Legion are cruel invaders and sets out to reform them]].