History Main / PluckyGirl

* Tohru Honda from ''FruitsBasket'' can be seen as a deconstruction. She still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole {{DysfunctionJunction}} with their trauma. Then we learn that [[spoiler: this is her way of dealing with all the pain in her life. She's not a StepfordSmiler, as she is sincerely happy often, but she also uses it as a way to keep from succumbing to grief and accepting that her mom is gone.]] [[spoiler: And then... it's reconstructed: when a maddened and despaired Akito tries to definitely break her as the members of the DysfunctionJunction are being released of their curses.... Tohru aknowledges that not so strong part of herself, accepts it, and manages to ''kindly speak to Akito and offer her kindness as well''. This finally breaks the vicious cycle that has trapped the Sohma clan, and even when Tohru is severely injured after falling off the cliff she's standing, it kickstarts Akito's HeelFaceTurn, and helps Tohru herself to deal with her own suffer.]]

* Tohru Honda from ''FruitsBasket'' can be seen as a deconstruction. She still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole {{DysfunctionJunction}} with their trauma.
Then we learn that [[spoiler: this is her way of dealing with all the pain in her life. She's not a StepfordSmiler, as she is sincerely happy often, but she also uses it as a way to keep from succumbing to grief and accepting that her mom is gone.]] [[spoiler: And then... it's reconstructed: when a maddened and despaired Akito tries to definitely break her as the members of the DysfunctionJunction are being released of their curses.... Tohru aknowledges that not so strong part of herself, accepts it, and manages to ''kindly speak to Akito and offer her kindness as well''. This finally breaks the vicious cycle that has trapped the Sohma clan, and even when Tohru is severely injured after falling off the cliff she's standing, it kickstarts Akito's HeelFaceTurn, and helps Tohru herself to deal with her own suffer.]]

* Tohru Honda from ''FruitsBasket'' still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole {{DysfunctionJunction}} with their trauma.
** Arguably a {{Deconstruction}}, as this attitude is later shown as [[spoiler: her way of dealing with all the pain in her life. She's not a StepfordSmiler, as she is sincerely happy often, but she also uses it as a way to keep from succumbing to grief and accepting that her mom is gone.]]

*** Also Natasha and Amelia. Both young ladies come from Grado, an Empire that is starting to invade and threaten other countries, but they decide to fight back and join Eirika and/or Ephraim's groups.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us several too: a female Avatar (default name: Robin), Sully, Lissa, Maribelle, Nowi, Tharja (in a StrangeGirl way, that is), Cordelia, Sumia (who's normally more of a SubmissiveBadass), Emmeryn (specially when she [[spoiler: fearlessly goes through an HeroicSuicide to stop an upcoming war]], and [[spoiler: the grown-up Tiki]]. And let's not forget the male Avatar, Henry, Donnel and Ricken as {{Rare Male Example}}s.

* Tohru Honda from ''FruitsBasket'' still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole DysfunctionJunction with their trauma.

* Molly Brown in ''Theatre/TheUnsinkableMollyBrown''. "I ain't down yet!"

* [[GhostTrick Lynne]] gets brutally murdered [[spoiler:five times in one night]] but she'll be damned before that will keep her from laughing it all off with her [[ThemeMusicPowerup cheerfull theme tune]] every time you have to go back in time to resurrect her. And then there is the bravery she displays when she [[spoiler:get's trapped in a sinking submarine with Camila.]] [[TheCutie Camila]] couldn't wish for a finer [[CoolBigSis protective older sister surrogate]] even if she wanted to try.

* Princess Aurora in ''Series/OnceUponATime'', who is even called this by her kidnapper, Cora, when Aurora flatly refuses to play along with her games.

* Tohru Honda from ''FruitsBasket'' still is optimistic despite being orphaned, temporarily homeless, and living in a tent, bullied in the past, and helping a whole DysfunctionJunction with their trama.

** Linde from the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia'' games. Alongside Maria, post-HeelFaceTurn!Minerva, Yumina, Lena, Elice, Tiki, Feena, etc. ''Gaiden'' adds Cellica, Sonia, etc. Merric and Ricken are {{Rare Male Example}}s.

*** Seisen's first generation: Adean, Briggid, Tailto [[spoiler:until she's broken]], Ferry, Mahnya, Raquesis, Sylvia and Ayra. Dew is TheOneGuy, sorta.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us several too: a female Avatar (default name: Robin), Sully, Lissa, Maribelle, Nowi, Tharja (in a StrangeGirl way, that is), Cordelia, Sumia (who's normally more of a SubmissiveBadass), Emmeryn (specially when she [[spoiler: fearlessly goes through an HeroicSuicide to stop an upcoming war]], and [[spoiler: the grown-up Tiki]]. And let's not forget the male Avatar, Henry and Donnel (and possibly Ricken) as {{Rare Male Example}}s.

* From ''HarryPotter'': Lily Potter (standing between the Dark Lord and her baby without a second thought) [[HeroesWantRedHeads Ginny Weasley]] (CuteWitch who does what she can to help Harry and Co.), [[InsufferableGenius Hermione Granger]] (member of the Golden Trio and MagicalGirlWarrior extraordinaire), and [[CloudCuckoolander Luna Lovegood]] - though it's hard to say with her what is indomitable pluck and what is sheer CloudCuckooLand training.

** [[RareMaleExample Rare Male Example]] in [[TheAtoner Sakazaki]] [[BigBrotherInstinct Yuuya]], who accepted his guilt [[spoiler: in [[OffingTheOffspring Killing his half-brother to let his full brother Sakuya live]] and refuses to let himself be get down by anything from Sakuya hating him to being [[TakingTheBullet stabbed by a poisoned cleaver]] to being guilt-tripped by [[EldritchAbomination The King]] using [[HellIsThatNoise the sound of breaking eggs]]get him down.]]

** To a much lesser extent, Noel. At least she is after the events of ''Continuum Shift'' and leading up to ''Chrono Phantasma'', where she seems to have [[TookALevelInBadass taken a few levels in badass]].

* ''{{Batman}}'': Stephanie Brown, the third [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2009}} Batgirl]]. Her ex-con of a father is starting to cause trouble again? Her mother's an addict? Her dad's trying to kill her? The father of her baby abandons her and she almost dies during delivery? The boy she's got her eyes on and who happens to be Robin's not interested in her? Batman tries to get her to quit being a crimefighter again and again - then fires her as Robin? She gets tortured, humiliated and almost killed and is forced to leave Gotham to heal? ... C'mon, you don't actually think that's gonna stop her, do you?

** Vanellope von Schweetz from ''WreckItRalph.'' She's probably this trope PERSONIFIED, because after all the bullying and abuse she's been through, she's still optimistic and happy. Wow.

* Vanellope from WreckItRalph has enough spirit to power a jet fighter, reacts to her circumstances as ThePollyena and is TheDeterminator ''personified'' in her dream of becoming a racer.

* [[RomeoAndJuliet Juliet Capulet]], believe it or not, and especially [[ValuesDissonance considering the time period it's set in.]] She disobeys her parents, follows her heart, takes the initiative ''even more than Romeo'', braves disownment and being trapped in a tomb to stay true to the man she loves (or at least believes she loves - give her a break, she ''is'' a teenager after all) and chooses to die with him rather than just bow to her elders.

* Asuka Kazama from ''{{Tekken}}''.
** And Jun, and Christie, and Xiaoyu, and Lili...

** The KOF: KYO manga adds Kyo's girlfriend Yuki, specially when she stands up to [[spoiler: Iori]] in the middle of a GoThroughMe. Not halfway bad for a BarrierMaiden GirlNextDoor.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** Linde from the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia'' games. Alongside Maria, post-HeelFaceTurn!Minerva, Yumina, Lena, Elice, Tiki, Feena, etc. ''Gaiden'' adds Cellica, Sonia, etc.

*** Seisen's first generation: Adean, Briggid, Tailto [[spoiler:until she's broken]], Ferry, Mahnya, Raquesis, Sylvia and Ayra.
*** Seisen's second generation: Lana (and Mana), Patty (and Daisy), Fee (and Femina), Nanna (and Janne), Altena, Larcei (and Radney), Leen (and Laylea). On the enemy side, we have the AntiVillain Ishtar.
*** FireEmblemThracia776: The aforementioned Nanna alongside Mareeta, Tanya, Karin, post-HeelFaceTurn!Olwen, Sara (who mixes this with StrangeGirl), Safy, Lara, Tina, Eda, Linoan, Misha and Princess Miranda, with Evayle [[spoiler:or better said, an amnesiac Briggid]], Machyua, Selphina and post-HeelFaceTurn!Amalda as older versions.

*** Lyndis/Lyn, Louise, Priscilla, Serra, Farina, Fiora and Rebecca, too. A good part of Florina's CharacterDevelopment comes from her doing what she can to become one.
*** In ''Fuuin no Tsurugi'', set 20 years later, Princess Lilina is this and some more. Makes sense since her dad is [[{{Badass}} Lord Hector]] [[spoiler:and her mom can either be Lyn, Farina or Florina]]. Other than her, we have: Clarine, Ellen, Princess Guinevere, Thany, Thite, Lalum, Sue, Milady and Fir. Adult versions include: Echidna, Igrene, Cecilia and Niime. "Mayfly" versions include [[spoiler:the dragon Fa]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us several too: a female Avatar (default name: Robin), Sully, Lissa, Maribelle, Nowi, Tharja, Cordelia and [[spoiler: the grown-up Tiki]]. From the second generation there's [[spoiler: Sully]]'s daughter Kjelle, [[spoiler: Sumia]]'s daughter Cynthia, [[spoiler: Nowi]]'s daughter Nah and [[spoiler: Chrom's daughter Lucina.]]

* Why would anyone consider Hikaru from MagicKnightRayerth ''not'' to be one of these?

*** Seisen's first generation: Adean, Briggid, Tiltyu [[spoiler:until she's broken]], Ferry, Mahnya, Lachesis, Sylvia and Ayra.
*** Seisen's second generation: Lana (and Mana), Patty (and Daisy), Phee (and Femina), Nanna (and Janne), Altenna, Lakche (and Radney), Leen (and Laylea). On the enemy side, we have the AntiVillain Ishtar.

* Cloud Kicker in ''[[{{Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles}} Ace Combat: The Equestrian War]]''. For most of the time, whatever she's doing, she acts like a true optimist.

* Cloud Kicker in ''Fanfic/AceCombatTheEquestrianWar''. For most of the time, whatever she's doing, she acts like a true optimist.

*** Also Natasha and Amelia.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us several too: a female Avatar (default name: Robin), Sully, Lissa, Maribelle, Nowi, Tharja, Cordelia and [[spoiler: the grown-up Tiki]]. From the second generation there's Kjelle, Cynthia, Nah and [[spoiler: Lucina.]]

** Selphie from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. Her original home was destroyed, many of her friends were killed, the world was about to end, and she ''still'' maintained her plucky attitude and sense of humor. Worryingly, she's also always the first one to propose an excessively violent solution to a problem, such as skinning a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Moomba]] to use as a disguise for escaping captivity. Rinoa would count as well.

* Quite a lot of the female characters from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''. Nearly every female character who has ever appeared in a ''Soul'' game is either this trope, or an IceQueen. Cassandra, Xianghua and Talim are this big time, Sophitia and Seung Mina were this in their earliest incarnations but grew out of it to eventually become [[ActionMom other]] [[CoolBigSis tropes]], and in the most recent game ''Soul Calibur V'', Pyrrha.