History Main / WaifFu

* In the ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'' series, petite pre-teen Amy can apparently block blows from weapons delivered by enormous men wielding axes, swords, and maces. As well as [[BlowYouAway Talim,]] [[ChineseGirl Xianghua,]] and [[{{Ninja}} Taki]].

* Mukuro Ikusaba from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' is 5'7"(169cm) tall, but only 97lbs (44kg). Despite this, her Ultimate title is ''Ultimate Soldier''. While she doesn't get to display much in game, in other sources, she gets to show off her badassery. In ''Literature/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavocIf'', after being found out to be one of the people responsible for locking them in the school, she fights 6'4" (192cm) 218lb (99kg) ''Ultimate Martial Artist'' Sakura Ogami nearly equally for ten minutes, though she thinks that Sakura was holding back. Later, when Mukuro got "in the zone", she was explicitly stated to be able to fight equally with her and fought over 100 Monokumas at once, ''while also dodging bullets'' from the turrets near the school entrance.

* Pity from the ''Literature/SpiderManSinisterSixTrilogy'' was able to give [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] quite the beating despite being very petite.

* ''ComicBook/{{Serenity}}'': In the comic ''Better Days'', River kicks an Alliance commando in the teeth while he's sneaking up on her. [[OffhandBackhand Without looking]].

-->-- '''Wash''', ''Film/{{Serenity}}''

* In the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' movie ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', River's SuperSoldier programming forcibly implanted by TheGovernment manifests when she receives her activation signal (a "Fruity Oaty Bars" commercial) at the Maidenhead bar. She proceeds to wipe the floor with everyone in the bar, including resident [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]] Jayne, who takes a shot at restraining her but gets a painful GroinAttack and a serving tray to the head that knocks him flat for his trouble. She is only deactivated when her brother Simon speaks a code-phrase that serves to knock her out. Her impressive capabilities come from a combination of PsychicPowers, [[AwesomenessByAnalysis extreme intelligence]], and [[TrainingFromHell intense conditioning]], [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity which drove her insane.]] That's not even mentioning what she does to the [[spoiler:Reavers]] at the end of the movie.

[[caption-width-right:350:Of course, being a clone of Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} makes it more possible for her to do this to a [[BearsAreBadNews bear]]. In reality, a woman her size would be dead.]]

* ''Manga/OuranHighschoolHostClub''

** Cass's mom is Lady Shiva. She's almost always drawn as either a slim Asian woman, or a slightly ''curvy'' Asian woman, and is often called the ''best martial artist on the planet''. She's just ''that'' skilled.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Lois Lane has a MilitaryBrat background, which helps explain why she can get away from the occasional mugger on her own, but it was carried to ridiculous levels in one story when she single-handedly storms a guerilla base commando-style to save a BroughtDownToNormal Clark.

* ComicBook/{{X23}}. She's even ''shorter'' than her "dad," Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}, and is much more gracile, though still athletic. Partly justified: As with Logan, Laura's HealingFactor gives her denser muscle, bone, and connective tissue than a normal human being, granting her a degree of SuperStrength.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': The heroes of the were realistically limited for the most part, but Sally Acorn periodically managed to jump-kick or toss a seven-foot robot in a way that a three-foot rodent probably shouldn't.

* WWE Divas that employ this style - Wrestling/KellyKelly, Wrestling/AliciaFox, Wrestling/EveTorres, Wrestling/AJLee, and Wrestling/{{Naomi}}. In Eve and Kelly's case, it's justified since they're both former gymnasts (and Eve is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) while Naomi is a former dancer.

* Pity from the Literature/SinisterSixTrilogy was able to give [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] quite the beating despite being very petite.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, any melee light armor female build effectively becomes this. It's particularly noticeable in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where you can choose the physical build of the PlayerCharacter for the first time in the series. Thus, you can make a female PlayerCharacter of an already waify race (Breton, Khajiit, Bosmer, etc.) even wispier, though still quite deadly. In addition, you can learn the [[BulletTime Slow Time]], [[FlashStep Whirlwind Sprint]], and [[BladeSpam Elemental Fury]] [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] [[SuperScream Shouts]] to really bolster the effect. Conversely, a melee heavy armor female build heads into GlacierWaif territory and that same slider can allow you to make her a large ([[BoobsOfSteel and busty]]) AmazonianBeauty or [[BeastMan Beast Woman]] (depending on race).

** Penelo from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is very petite compared to the rest of the party, but she can be formidable in her own right, and you can even give her a {{BFS}}.
*** That said, her stats do favour magick rather than combat, so it's up to the player's discretion. Fran is perhaps a straighter example: she is basically a playboy bunny species, and (in cutscenes and quickenings only, natch) shows dexterity and martially artistic moves.

* [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Officer Denise Marmalade]] from ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends The Misadventures of Tron Bonne]]'' has the build of a teenage scarecrow (and might actually ''be'' a teenager, as she still lives with her mother) and probably weighs around fifty pounds soaking wet. However, she's also able to fight Tron's [[HumongousMecha Gustaff]] ''bare-handed'', shrugs off bullets and bombs from the thing without armor, can casually give the thing a reverse-suplex if you let her get close, and is actually [[WakeUpCallBoss the first genuinely difficult boss in the game]] (at least [[HardLevelsEasyBosses comparatively speaking]]).

* Used to hilarious excess in ''The Misadventures of Tron Bonne'' from ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends''. After declaring how she'd been taking self-defense courses since the last time they met, policewoman Denise proceeds to manhandle Tron's ''HumongousMecha'' by judo throwing it around town.

** Also Yoruichi, who is known as the "Goddess of Flash" and laid Yammy Rialgo out with no help at all. She also gets points for drilling [[spoiler:Aizen]] into the ground not once, but twice.
** Can we say Hiyori Sarugaki? Despite, according to her bio, weighing 57lbs and standing a grand total of 4'4" tall, she is not only an Vizard but was [[spoiler: the former 12th division lieutenant]] and she regularly smacked Ichigo around.

* A [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 15-year-old]] schoolgirl named Saya Otonashi may not be particularly intimidating, but there's a very good reason she's often mistakenly referred to as ''Anime/BloodTheLastVampire''.

* Kallen of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' generally does her ass-kicking in a MiniMecha, but is quite formidable in hand-to-hand combat as well... [[{{Fanservice}} even wearing a]] [[PlayboyBunny bunny suit]].

* The LittleMissBadass of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=], fits this well. During the Tournament arc, she tosses around all her opponents with ease using Aiki-jujitsu, a real martial arts technique, and strings. Using the two, she completely pins down Setsuna, who is one of the strongest characters in the main cast. But then she is a 500-year-old vampire and has been learning the art for the last 100 years or so. It's even implied that she learned the art ''from the man who originated it''.

* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' shows Shana. She is superhumanly strong as Flame Haze, though she looks like a normal teenage girl.

* Shinobu in ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' displays low-level super-strength when sufficiently provoked. This developed from what was originally comic relief slapping and hitting.

* Nona from ''Anime/DeathParade'' is a slender, frail-looking girl with the appearance of a young teenager, but she's capable of knocking out a man twice her size and she can do some rather impressive flips and somersaults when trying to avoid being captured by another. However, given that she's ageless and not entirely human, it's justified in the show proper.
* Gatomon from ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', at least in the first season of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure''. She may look like a small kitty cat, but she's also a champion-level Digimon that was able to effortlessly defeat three other champions, all of them many times her size.
* Sakura of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' learns it from Tsunade, who also breaks the ground with simple punches - Tsunade in her true form is actually a frail elderly woman with even less muscle size than Sakura. This SuperStrength is apparently achieved by perfect chakra control.
** Hinata also falls into this category. Her clan's specialty is the "Gentle Fist" technique, which rather than using crippling damage delivers a short, intense burst of energy to block a chakra point, preventing the use of ninja techniques (and potentially the use of limbs, or ''organs''). In the anime, she's also shown the ability to improve the "near perfect defense" technique to a "truly perfect defense", and turns the Gentle Fist into something that would make [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] start to shed ManlyTears. For the longest time, she did this ''occasionally''. She would have demonstrated her strength more often earlier on, had it not been for her crippling self-esteem issues, which were only sporadically overcome by following Naruto's example. By the [[WarArc Fourth Shinobi World War Arc]], after she becomes assertive and has gained a lot more confidence, she starts actively showing off her strength, especially when she masters the Sixty-Four Palms and combines it with her Twin Lion Fists.
* Yachiru Kusajishi of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is able to carry her captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, without much trouble despite her being about 33 pounds (15kg) whereas he weighs in at a Tyson-esque 237 pounds (108kg).

* [[spoiler:DualWielding]] [[BadassAdorable Elizabeth]] [[DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel Middleford]] from ''Manga/BlackButler''. [[spoiler: ''"The wife of the Queen's Watchdog"'' [[http://www.kuroshitsujimanga.com/57/33/ indeed]].]]

* Kagura from ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' fits this trope nicely. From the outside, she is the epitome of a cute and petite 14-year-old girl. However, we soon find out she belongs to a race of super-strong fighters and can take down villains many times her size with sheer strength alone. See her in action: [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160512194433/http://www.cosplayhouse.com/images/D/0-164.jpg here]].
* Slender fifteen-year-old Kaoru Konoe of ''VideoGame/GateKeepers'' has the ability to heft battle tanks and throw buses for hundreds of yards, thanks to her Gate powers.
* Shinobu in ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' displays low-level super-strength when sufficiently provoked. This developed from what was originally comic relief slapping and hitting.
* Asuka of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' displayed this trope in the manga version. After bumping into a gang member in an arcade, she manages to easily kick him out the way and hold her own against several other big, burly men alone, with [[SheFu backflips]] and all. Admittedly she used the "[[LookBehindYou Look over there]]!" trick first. She never displays these moves again in the series, apart from a brief moment near the end of the same book.
* Yuno Gasai of ''Manga/FutureDiary'' is a fourteen-year-old girl, and she's capable of slicing full-grown men twice her size clean in half. She racks up the highest body count in the series by a mile, all while wearing her rather terrifying trademark cross between a stare and a SlasherSmile. Unsurprisingly, since she is [[JustifiedTrope a justified example]] due to using [[PsychoKnifeNut blades]] over her fists. She's the very definition of this trope, among [[{{Yandere}} others]].
* In the case of Alita from ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'', one would argue that her being a Full Conversion Cyborg justifies this... except that the vast majority of her opponents are as well, and are almost invariably much bigger than she is (frequently by a factor of 10 or more) and often just as advanced or nearly so. However, as Alita herself states at one point, Panzer Kunst (her fighting style) was created to fight larger opponents, especially larger cyborgs.
* The LittleMissBadass of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=], fits this well. During the Tournament arc, she tosses around all her opponents with ease using Aiki-jujitsu, a real martial arts technique, and strings. Using the two, she completely pins down Setsuna, who is one of the strongest characters in the main cast. But then she is a 500-year-old vampire and has been learning the art for the last 100 years or so.
** It's even implied that she learned the art ''from the man who originated it''.
* In ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' the deadliest swordsman is not Manji, the immortal main character, or Anotsu, the BigBad, but Makie, a skinny, waif-like former prostitute who killed sixty wolves in one night at the age of ''ten''. The trope is ultimately {{averted|Trope}} when Manji comments on how Makie's muscles are weaker than his and that her true advantage is her speed combined with her skill that she uses to give her segregated spear more power through sheer momentum.
* In episode 18 of the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}VAs, Sasami—armed only with a staff she apparently kept in her hair—effortlessly defeated an armed and highly trained Galaxy Police operative, despite [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld appearing to be]] [[TropeNamers no more than 12 years old]] and having shown no martial prowess whatsoever at any prior point in the series.
** It's AllThereInTheManual. Sasami ''does'' possess martial arts prowess, it just wasn't mentioned in the [=OVAs=] before -- after all, her mom is the head of Emperor's security and uncontested martial arts champion of the whole Jurai Empire. And it was mentioned in the supplements that Sasami DID train with Misaki, so she could take out a couple of [=GalPol=] mooks even without Tsunami's powers.
* Played with in ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', adding credibility to a show with an implausible body count in most of its fight scenes. The whisper-thin ur-waif Kirika is one of the two most lethal human beings on Earth. However, the writers never have her indulge in the sort of waif-fu that involves tossing grown men around like ragdolls without using their own weight and momentum to do so. She always uses weapons to make her kills--including, in one case, a [[spoiler:plastic high school ID card]], never her hands or feet, and rarely shows more physical strength plausible for her body frame. Her weapon of choice is a Beretta M 1934, which fires .380 ACP, a fairly small round, typically used for backup guns only. The only common rounds weaker are .32 ACP and .22 Long. Much less recoil than a .45, or even a 9mm, usually.
* Yuki Nagato of ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' has combat skills and power belied by her schoolgirl appearance. This is due to her [[RewritingReality reality-hacking powers]]. ([[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3428015/1/The_Trouble_with_Timelines this fanfic]] describes her as "[[Film/TheMatrix Agent Smith's]] niece.")
** The "Agent Smith's niece" part probably stems from the fact that both are [[InstantAIJustAddWater sentient programs]] and [[PowersAsPrograms use programming to give them whatever skill or power they need to win]]
* The titular heroine of the anime ''Anime/SoltyRei'' is a young, seemingly defenseless, [[spoiler:[[RobotGirl robot]]]] girl with a MysteriousPast who "adopts" a bounty hunter who "saved her life" - who is able to take out a fifty-foot mecha piloted by two Mooks in the second episode. With ''one punch'' to its fist, which was in the process of trying to punch through her to her adopted protector. You don't want to mess with her.
** And don't forget her very next move, where she ''hurled it into the stratosphere''.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Manga/TheDaughterOfTwentyFaces''. Although the titular 90-pound heroine Chiko is an ActionGirl, her action mostly involves acrobatics and escape, not fighting people directly. Her trainers even defy this trope by pointing out that she can't hope to fight big burly men directly in hand to hand combat and if she must fight she has to rely on using their opponents' momentum against them and the like. Being explicitly told during training to aim directly at the groin area also helps. Eventually [[DoubleSubversion double subverted]] as her fighting becomes more Waif Fu-like later in the series.
* Anita of the ''Anime/RODTheTV'' is ''very'' strong, capable of stunning a "vampire" by throwing a book into his face breaking his nose from five meters away ''without'' using her paper powers, and she can knock out grown men 3 times her size. Her fighting style was developed by animators via "[[LeParkour observing monkeys]] and [[SheFu the Chinese Royal Acrobats."]] This is likely due to her [[spoiler:being created in a lab by the British Library]].
** Anita was actually the ''only'' paper sister in that episode who could use her paper powers because they are [[spoiler:simplistic and do not require the paper to take shape and are therefore immune to the subtle sound vibrations that permeated the castle grounds. Didn't she kill that "vampire" by the way?]]
** Anita does this trope again and is also shown to be a walking "Got Milk?" advertisement when she plays sports at school and throws a scorching fastball across two fields into the catcher's mitt. In the dub at least, this was further emphasized by the catcher himself, as he said, "Dear ''God''," in a very stunned voice.
* Meow from ''Anime/CarriedByTheWindTsukikageRan'' is a very slender young lady, who takes out entire ''gangs'' of armed {{mooks}} barehanded if sufficiently provoked. She still often plays the role of DamselInDistress to the protagonist though, if the plot so desires.
* Technically, all female fighters in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' save [[OldMaster Cologne]], as they're small, slender Japanese teenagers - and Akane and [[GenderBender Ranma]] themselves are the tiniest of the bunch. Made explicitly obvious when they take on the [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever humongous]] Dojo Destroyer and Pantyhose Taro.
* In the first episode of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'', Misty pulls Ash out of the water with a fishing rod, throwing him over her head in the process. A massive case of FridgeLogic.
* In ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', Taiga's doll-like appearance doesn't prevent her from handing out {{Megaton Punch}}es. In a way, it's subverted later when in an actual contest of strength, Ryuji easily pins her to a wall.

* Eri Kisaki of ''Manga/CaseClosed'', in her first appearance, literally ''throws a muscular opponent three times her size across rooms and through walls.'' Her daughter Ran is also skilled in karate, but she's more of a CuteBruiser variety.
* A [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 15-year-old]] schoolgirl named Saya Otonashi may not be particularly intimidating, but there's a very good reason she's often mistakenly referred to as ''[[Anime/BloodPlus Blood The Last Vampire]]''.

* ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' has [[TheHero Vivio]], [[TheRival Einhalt]], [[ThoseTwoGuys Rio, and Corona]], who are all 10 to 11-year-old little girls that practice Strike Arts, the Mid-Childan Martial Art. For fun, they play "Who can displace the most water from a lake with a single punch above the water". Einhalt was able to make a five-meter tall waterspout with hers, temporarily making it rain in the area, complete with accompanying rainbow.
** In fact, before the series, Einhart spent her days picking fights with experienced fighters who are all bigger than her even when she's in her [[OlderAlterEgo Adult Form]], and all of whom proved no match.
* Izumi Curtis of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. She looks like a typical housewife but manages to set off her HairTriggerTemper (which isn't hard) and you're in for a pretty solid ass beating. Better pray you don't make her angry enough to use her alchemy.
** And then there's May Chang, a young teenager approximately the size of a toddler. She kicked the ass of Edward Elric, an uncannily ripped (at least for his size) master of martial-arts and alchemy, as well as that of Ed's brother Al, who is a SUIT OF ARMOR.
** Catherine Armstrong is a tiny, sweet young lady (especially compared to her older siblings [[BoisterousBruiser Alex]] and [[LadyOfWar Olivier]]). She can [[SuperStrength throw]] [[InstrumentOfMurder pianos]] at people.

* In the second half of the first episode of ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'' Madoka shows how well deserved her scary reputation when she takes down about five times her mass in juvenile delinquents intent on beating up Hikaru-chan.
* Several characters from ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}'' learned the hard way not to underestimate one [[MafiaPrincess Yamaguchi Kumiko]].
* Kallen of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' generally does her ass-kicking in a MiniMecha, but is quite formidable in hand-to-hand combat as well... [[{{Fanservice}} even wearing a]] [[PlayboyBunny bunny suit]].
** C.C. also knows some action moves.
* Itsuki of ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' is a judo practitioner (her grandfather owns the school and she was planning to take over when her brother fell ill). She effortlessly tosses Kumojacky over her shoulder during an encounter ''way'' before she became Cure Sunshine!
* [[TheStoic Koneko]] of ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' is the shortest member of the group and looks like she should still be in grade school. She also has the power of The Rook, which supernaturally enhances her strength several times over and makes her the team's muscle. Not to say she's unstoppable though; even with the power of The Rook, opponents with Queen or even King-level power can overpower her, and for good reason.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' features a large amount of this, as people who fight the [[HumanoidAbomination Titans]] (which range in height from four to fifteen meters) have to make use of LeParkour if they want to strike their weak points without getting eaten.
** [[ActionGirl Annie Leonhart]] likes to claim that she's just a "weak maiden". Eren points out her tendency to [[CurbstompBattle curb stomp]] guys literally twice her size as evidence that this is a [[BlatantLies blatant lie]].
** Mikasa, who is still slender, is also shown to be very muscular under her clothes. Her washboard abs are something of a {{meme|ticMutation}} amongst the fandom.
* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': Natsumi, an average high school girl, is able to take on giant mecha, alien monsters, intergalactic mercenaries, devious deathtraps, etc. It's hinted that her mother is even stronger.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Chi-Chi (more in ''Manga/DragonBall'') also qualifies when she held her own against Goku at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.
** Zangya, a {{Space Pirate|s}} from ''Anime/DragonBallZBojackUnbound'', also qualifies. She is very slender and attractive but makes easy work of Krillin and the other Z Fighters whenever she gets a chance to fight, and her moveset is also ballet-esque.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', we get the Universe 6 Saiyanesses, Caulifla and Kale, who both play this straight ''and'' subvert it. In their normal forms, they're some of the skinniest characters in the series and appear largely unassuming and young (perhaps even teenaged), but are stated to be extremely powerful regardless. When Caulifla transforms, she gains absolutely no extra musculature. Caulifla initially fails to achieve Super Saiyan 2 and instead transforms into the bulky and extremely muscular 'Super Saiyan Grade 3' state before achieving Super Saiyan 2, where she manages to match Super Saiyan 2 Goku for a short time. [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Kale, on the other hand, becomes a hulking muscular berserker]] before she too slenders down tremendously.
* ''Anime/RageOfBahamutGenesis'' shows the {{nephilim}} [[BornOfHeavenAndHell Amira]]. She looks like a young, pretty girl, but she is by far the strongest in her team. This is justified by the fact that she has [[SuperStrength super strength]].
* Aiz Wallenstein from ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' is the strongest fighter of her family. On the basis of her physique, you can not see her power.
* Morgiana from ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'' looks like an ordinary, red-haired girl of thirteen years. At least until [[CurbStompBattle she single-handedly defeats a group of robbers]].
* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' shows Shana. She is superhumanly strong as Flame Haze, though she looks like a normal teenage girl.

* All girls from Tsukune's [[UnwantedHarem harem]] qualify in ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' for this, but Moka stands out. In the first few episodes, the fight was such that they beat each opponent in their [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiric form]] with just one shot.
* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight''. The slim and unmuscular Kujioka Mika makes it to the quarterfinals in the TournamentArc by defeating heavier wrestler Anastasia Ibrahimov with {{Combat Pragmatis|t}}m (a DelayedCausality strike to the kidney that [[DisqualificationInducedVictory forced the victor to drop out]]) and another with a fair knockout. However, she still took significant beatings in both fights, and the injuries last and cause her problems in the final rounds a week later.

* In a late chapter of ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', [[spoiler:Thorn]] effortlessly lifts a Vedu warrior (easily twice her weight) over her head and throws him, presumably aided by her powers as the Awakened One. [[spoiler:Then a squadron of 15 Vedu warriors appears and beats the tar out of her.]]
* [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]]''. She's even ''shorter'' than her "dad," Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}, and is much more gracile, though still athletic. Partly justified: As with Logan, Laura's HealingFactor gives her denser muscle, bone, and connective tissue than a normal human being, granting her a degree of SuperStrength.

%% * Hit-Girl in ''ComicBook/KickAss''. She is trained in martial arts and firearms as well.
* Given the vagaries of comic book art, just about any [[BadassNormal unpowered]] female will probably use this at one time or another, as quite a few artists simply refuse to draw women who look like they could carry a milk carton, much less win a fight. Combined with a tendency toward hyperthyroidism in male portrayal, this led to some especially egregious examples of Waif Fu in [[AudienceAlienatingEra the '90s]].
* [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] has a MilitaryBrat background, which helps explain why she can get away from the occasional mugger on her own, but it was carried to ridiculous levels in one story when she single-handedly storms a guerilla base commando-style to save a BroughtDownToNormal Clark.

* Song in the Creator/{{Image}} comic book ''Epic Kill'' is shaping up to be this. As an individual who doesn't really use weapons, she's considered a ''national security threat''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Serenity}}'': In the comic ''Better Days'', River kicks an Alliance commando in the teeth while he's sneaking up on her. [[OffhandBackhand Without looking]].
* ''ComicBook/ButtonMan'': Adele primarily uses her highly trained martial art skills to take on opponents several times her size.
* Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} almost all the time, as a short, slim woman who fights like a brawler, sometimes with a comically large hammer. Slightly justified in the main DC continuity, as although this is seldom brought up, in her first mainstream-canon appearance [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] gave her a SuperSerum that gave her moderately superhuman strength, agility, and durability. Or some people might see her [[PowerBornOfMadness complete insanity]] as justifying it.

* Characters/BlackCanary: At least traditionally, both [[LegacyCharacter Dinah Drake and her daughter, Dinah Lance]], are drawn as pretty, petite woman, who easily pass for being a simple florists in their day job, and happen to also be expert hand-to-hand fighters; moreso Dinah Jr, who is shorter than her mom and also billed as being in the top-five fighters in the world. Increasingly, the last two decades have seen artists make effort to draw Dinah Lance as having lean, but toned muscle, though it's DependingOnTheArtist.

* Partly averted and partly justified in ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'': All the Sailor Scouts have enhanced strength while in their Combat Modes, but some are stronger than others. Sailors Venus and Jupiter in particular are stronger than the others, but this is because they work out and actually have visible muscles.
** While not as strong physically, Sailor Mars makes up for it by expelling fire jets that propel her punches at high speeds.
* Averted in the Assassins' School in the Literature/{{Discworld}}. [[ActionGirl Johanna Smith-Rhodes]] has heard the arguments that women, generally smaller and slighter and less muscled, will always be at a disadvantage against men in a fight. She considers everybody is entitled to a point of view and considers it good that as many men as possible believe this, as it makes things easier. Johanna teaches Unorthodox Combat Skills at the Guild and instructs her girls in a kind of waif-fu. One that ''works''. More in the writings of Creator/AAPessimal.

* The women of ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' tend to be very slender, but are able to kick much ass, notably Lucy Wilde and Scarlet Overkill.
* ''Animation/WhiteSnake2019'': Blanca and Verta are shown to be extremely strong despite the lean body type they both possess.

* In ''Film/KickAss'', the heroine Hit Girl takes this to Matrix-like levels of combat skill. She is by far the best fighter in the film, much more skilled than the protagonist. This does come to bite her in her confrontation with Frank D'Amico however, as she makes the mistake of engaging him in a confined space and he uses his much greater size and strength to quickly overpower her.
* The quote above comes from the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' movie ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', where River's SuperSoldier programming forcibly implanted by TheGovernment manifests when she receives her activation signal (a "Fruity Oaty Bars" commercial) at the Maidenhead bar. She proceeds to wipe the floor with everyone in the bar, including resident [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]] Jayne, who takes a shot at restraining her but gets a painful GroinAttack and a serving tray to the head that knocks him flat for his trouble. She is only deactivated when her brother Simon speaks a code-phrase that serves to knock her out. Her impressive capabilities come from a combination of PsychicPowers, [[AwesomenessByAnalysis extreme intelligence]], and [[TrainingFromHell intense conditioning]], [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity which drove her insane.]] That's not even mentioning what she does to the [[spoiler:Reavers]] at the end of the movie.

* Creator/ZhangZiyi often gets typecast as a Waif-Fu ActionGirl.
** Jen Yu from ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', most memorably in the restaurant scene [[spoiler:in which she owns everyone ''and'' the restaurant itself]].
** When she appears to be a simple servant in ''Film/Hero2002'', it probably didn't convince anyone.
** Her role in ''Film/HouseOfFlyingDaggers''.
** In ''Film/TheGrandmaster'', she is cast as Gong Er, the daughter and heiress to the most skilled master from northern China. She is able to fight evenly with Ip Man and later defeat the ferocious and ruthless Ma San- all while hardly disturbing the style of her hair.
* Pulled off [[JustifiedTrope rather believably]] in ''Film/{{Doomsday}}''. When Eden Sinclair (played by Creator/RhonaMitra) gets into close combat, she either [[FragileSpeedster dodges most attacks from opponents bigger than her (rather than parrying them)]] and/or uses some kind of weapon that's realistically useful against a stronger opponent.
* Pretty much every martial arts film starring 5'3" Cynthia Rothrock, a multiple World Karate champion. In most films, in true Rocky fashion, she will get the stuffing beat out of her by much larger opponents before [[HeroicResolve eventually emerging victorious]].
* One of Creator/SandraBullock's early roles, in ''Film/DemolitionMan''. She takes out one of the big strong super-violent thugs with a single kick. And how did she learn this move, living in the ultra-pacifistic society that has outlawed violence? She ''[[IKnowMortalKombat watched]]'' a Creator/JackieChan movie.
* ''Film/{{Chocolate}}'' (2008). Zen, a small Thai autistic girl whose DisabilitySuperpower is to absorb martial arts from movies and TV shows. The entire movie is her beating up hundreds of people larger than her with a variety of styles. At various points, she "mimics" Tony Jaa, Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan, as well as fighting with capoeira, Muay Thai, and even dual katana sheaths. The actress, who works under the name JeeJa Yanin, was a 3rd Dan in taekwondo before being discovered by Panna Rittikrai (who did the stunts for Ong Bak) during casting for his first film. She spent 2 years training with his stunt team before making her film debut. They often handled her smaller size well, she uses it to her advantage by taking the fight into narrow spaces where her opponents have trouble moving. But throughout she's not shown to be "super strong", she uses circumstances, agility, and blunt objects instead.

* The Angels in the ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'' film series use martial arts to defeat whole roomfuls of enemies. In [[Series/CharliesAngels the TV series]], the Angels rely on more realistic tactics, but Creator/DrewBarrymore DoesntLikeGuns.
* The teen/tween in the archive in ''Film/Blade1998'' looks about 12 or 14, and even plays helpless, scared, and cute when Blade first sees her. She then kicks Blade so hard that he falls back through some SoftGlass.
%%* Melody from the ''Film/JosieAndThePussycats'' movie.
* In some movies, i.e. ''Film/FreddyVsJason'', ''Film/CrimeAndPunishmentInSuburbia'', and even ''Film/ManOfTheHouse'', 5'1" Creator/MonicaKeena seems very capable of taking down someone at least twice her size, though in her case, it's less Waif-Fu, and more [[CuteBruiser Waif Brawl]].
* From ''Film/BallsOfFury'', Maggie (played by Creator/MaggieQ) takes out a handful of martial artists, prompting Agent Ernie Rodriguez (played by George Lopez) to actually say "What does she weigh? Like 40 pounds?"
* Creator/MillaJovovich:
** Leeloo in ''Film/TheFifthElement''.
** Alice in the ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' takes this to ridiculous extremes, with even an unpowered Alice sending full-grown adults (and zombies) flying with moves straight out of ''Franchise/TheMatrix''.
* The basic premise of ''Film/HeroicTrio'' was to cram the [[AllStarCast three most popular waifs in Hong Kong]] into one kick-ass movie.
* ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'': Alice, played by Creator/MiaWasikowska dons a shining suit of armor, and beheads the friggin' Jabberwocky (who, to add even more to the JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient, is voiced by Creator/ChristopherLee).
-->''"[[PreMortemOneLiner Off with your head!]]"''
* Presumably due to UnstoppableRage, the titular character in ''Film/BloodNightTheLegendOfMaryHatchet'' manages to kill at least six asylum employees (five of them orderlies and/or security guards) barehanded. It's averted in the case of her daughter (played by the tiny Creator/DanielleHarris) though; once disarmed, the [[FinalGirl Final Boy]] easily overpowers and strangles her to death as she rather ineffectively wails on him.
* ''Film/{{Hanna}}'' uses LeParkour to confuse and separate her enemies, her agility to [[DeadlyDodging dodge their stronger blows]] and her TykeBomb TrainingFromHell to exploit any opening instinctively. [[spoiler:She is also something of a SuperSoldier as well, somewhat justifying her abilities.]] This is deliberately contrasted with the style of her dad (who trained her), which takes advantage of his greater size, and strength.
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** Introduced in ''Film/IronMan2'', Natasha Romanoff blows through a building with a combination of non-lethal weaponry and improbable martial arts -- all in the time it takes Happy Hogan to take down one guard with conventional boxing technique. Subsequently, she goes on to fight small armies throughout the rest of the films using a wide array of styles, to the point that she's able to fight alongside the other Avengers. She's played by the 5'3" Creator/ScarlettJohansson.
** In ''Film/IronMan3'', [[spoiler:Pepper Potts is suddenly able to do this, courtesy of experimental drugs that enhanced her strength]].
* Selina Kyle in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', though the disarming front she presents is more psychological than physical—she's played by 5'9" Creator/AnneHathaway. It's not so much that she's ''tiny'' as it is her ability to come off as ''meek''.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} by Catwoman in ''Film/TheBatman2022''; while she can use surprise, agility, and trickery to get the better of foes, in a direct physical confrontation with much larger and stronger men like Batman, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it doesn't get her very far]].
* As with her comics counterpart, Laura from ''Film/{{Logan}}''. In fact, it's exaggerated further because in this film she's an ''eleven-year-old girl'' happily taking on trained, heavily armed, ''cybernetically enhanced'' Reavers twice or more her size! When confronted with [[spoiler:X-24, a clone of Logan himself]], she immediately goes into attack mode, using her speed and small size to keep him completely off balance. [[spoiler:If not for his HealingFactor, she would have ''torn him apart''.]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome However]], when a mook or [[spoiler:X-24]] actually manages to land a hit, it tends to hurt, since she ''is'' still an eleven-year-old girl fighting grown men twice her size, but she can still carve through an army of Reavers with terrifying effectiveness.
* ''Film/HobbsAndShaw'': {{Subverted|Trope}} when the diminutive Hattie starts brawling with Hobbs, the mountain of muscle. She gets in a bunch of good licks and seems to be holding her own until Hobbs just picks her up and holds her in the air until she agrees to stop fighting.
* ''Film/Prey2022'': Naru is a slender young woman who uses acrobatic moves to take down significantly larger and stronger opponents, even coming out ahead in grappling exchanges with the Predator, who is strong enough to break a grizzly bear's neck with a single punch.
* In the Cuban HorrorComedy ''Film/JuanOfTheDead'' Juan arrives to his place, worried about having left his daughter Camila by herself. To Juan's surprise, he finds the petite young woman fighting back against the [[NotUsingTheZWord "dissidents"]], even [[spoiler:vaulting unto a zombie's shoulders and sinking her claw hammer into his skull]], then walking away with a grin.

%%* Kiki Strike of ''Literature/KikiStrike''.
* Lisbeth Salander in the ''Literature/MillenniumSeries'' is 4 feet 11 inches tall and looks like a child. She's no ninja but happens to be very good at ''avoiding'' getting hit, sneaking up on people, and incapacitating her opponents, whether it's with [[ImprovisedWeapon stones, golf clubs or nail guns]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** Lieutenant Karrin Murphy is 5 feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet. She's also TheBigGuy. This is because she's highly skilled in Aikido, which uses an enemy's weight and momentum against them, while also preserving their well-being. It goes [[ExaggeratedTrope Up to Eleven]] when she [[spoiler: picks up one of the Swords of the Cross]], especially in ''{{Literature/Changes}}''.
*** Although, on some level, she also averts it. In the short story "Aftermath," which is told from her perspective, she mentions that she works with several different martial arts (, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Kali, Savate, Krav Maga, Taekwando, Judo, Boxing, and Shaolin Kung Fu,) and also points how size and strength go a ''long'' way. She's mentioned that, despite her skills, she (like most people) always walks around with a slight nervousness in knowing that half of the population could easily overpower her.
** There's also "Lydia", the mysterious client in ''Literature/GravePeril'' - when possessed by a demon, she's easily able to throw Harry around, even though he's much bigger. Being Harry, he comments that this shouldn't work.
* Mariel of ''Literature/{{Redwall}}''. She's a mouse, probably aged about twelve in the first book, and has been kept as a slave for quite a long time, yet she's able to beat up seabirds with nothing but a length of knotted rope.
** A lot of the Dibbuns, most prominently Baby Dumble, who was fighting crows in diapers. (Though admittedly he wasn't actually very good at it.) Or Bragoon and Saro, who left home to kick ass when they were still Dibbuns and don't come back 'til they're old, after which they kick more ass [[spoiler:before dying epically]].
* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in R.A. Salvatore's ''Literature/TheClericQuintet'' with Danica Maupauissant. She's described as "barely topping 5-ft and 100 lbs., with a mop of bouncing strawberry-blonde hair." And she kicks the tails of everyone. Priests of Oghma, who are very accomplished wrestlers (and most are at least three times her size) make her wrestle them before they tell her where to find what she wants in the Edificant Library. She always wins. The reason this is justified within the series is that she's a Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Monk. Loosely translated: Shaolin monk on crack.

* Vin in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' is a tiny teenaged girl who, by the time the trilogy ends, has taken out just about everything nasty the CrapsackWorld can throw at her. She is one of the titular mistborn, and as such possesses powers including but not limited to [[SuperpowerLottery superhuman strength, speed, senses, telekinetic control of metals, and a Jedi-like ability to see the immediate future.]]
** Vin has an advantage even over other mistborn, not just because her small form gives her greater agility and balance, but because her super-strength is more concentrated, giving her a proportionally stronger punch. She basically uses the SquareCubeLaw to her advantage. Her small size is also useful for stealth since mistborn are typically assassins and spies. The only disadvantage is in the manipulation of metals, since if one is too heavy ''she'' will be moved instead.
** Though it should be noted that she is still weaker than a muscle-bound bruiser with the same powers as her, which bites her in the behind at least once when she gets pinned by such an opponent.

* [[CuteBruiser Juliet]] from ''Literature/ArtemisFowl''. Justified in that she is a [[BadassFamily Butler]].

* The Vord Queens in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series look like slender, beautiful women due to [[spoiler: the fact that the original was exposed to Kitai's blood and thus was altered in the first book]]. They are also ''incredibly'' fast and strong and are able to take hits from titanic crossbows that can punch through heavy armor or horses and keep going. Then again, they're not human, but the powerful, monstrous leaders of a species that has eaten entire worlds.
** Also, Kitai, a young girl with the strength of a grown man and the ability to take almost anyone in a fistfight. This is justified by the fact that she's a Marat, not a human, and she's pretty well-muscled to boot.

* Jacky Faber of ''Literature/BloodyJack'' fame often uses her skinny young waif act to get out of tight situations. Most of her adversaries who fall for this are fooled into thinking she's a Just A Girl, to their detriment since she's a former street rat/war veteran with a "shiv."
* ''Literature/YoungWizards'':
** Dairine Callahan from the series. At eleven she offers to take on her fourteen-year-old sister Nita's biggest adversary, Joanne, and beat her up (Joanne and her cronies had just beaten Nita up pretty badly)-- and although she doesn't do it, it's made quite clear that she can, and even Nita admits it.
** Nita and Kit are both also examples. The reason Nita doesn't fight back is that although she has the skills, she knows that she's outnumbered and fighting back will only make it worse. But when she gets a hold on wizardry she gains self-confidence-- and a much, much bigger adversary than Joanne. And she kicks butt. Magic is just as cool as a physical skill because fighting with magic costs you just as much energy and strength as fighting physically. Magic is just more... dignified. Well, aWoM kind of subverts that in Nita's battle with Aurilelde, but still.
** YW has so many examples of this, you can't name them all.

* Nico from ''Literature/TheSpiritThief'' in the Legend of Eli Monpress series. She's small and painfully thin, but her demonseed abilities give her inhuman strength, speed, healing, and the power to step through shadows.
%% * ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Alice.
%% * Tris from the ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' series. It's continually pointed out how nobody thinks of her as a threat (especially at the beginning) because of her tiny frame and stature.
* Played realistically in the Literature/BelisariusSeries: Shakuntala is extremely fast and nimble, the prize pupil of India's most lethal martial artist and phenomenally strong for her size. However, she is tiny (about 90 pounds soaking wet) and that bites her on the arse a number of times.
* Pity from the Literature/SinisterSixTrilogy was able to give [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] quite the beating despite being very petite.
* Ninette from ''Literature/ReservedForTheCat''; she's a trained ballerina, and knows that jumps, spins, and kicks can be useful both in dancing and fighting.
* Tuon from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is a petite bald woman who can be easily mistaken for a little boy, but it would be unwise to underestimate her ability to kill you with her bare hands.
* Arya from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' novels is a bit of a subversion. In the first book, she is specifically trained to fight in this kind of style but attempts to take on actual experienced and armed male combatants throughout the series usually end with her being disarmed readily. Fortunately, she is able to actually kill many of her targets using skill and surprise, mainly by exploiting the fact that no one tends to see her as a threat.
* Ami from Dianne Duvall's ''Literature/ImmortalGuardians'' series is five foot one...and yet she took down dozens of vampires in one fight. It helps that she's been trained by people who literally have centuries of experience in fighting. And her enhanced healing abilities and other perks of being [[spoiler: an alien from the planet Lasara]] don't hurt either.

* Ingrid Brady in ''Literature/GetBlank'' is a kung fu master, though it appears to be because of her physique rather than in spite of it. Her skinniness is because of a bizarre ascetic commitment and appears to have given her slightly superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes.
* In the ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series, GenderIsNoObject, so female fighters are just about as common as men. Many of the female toughs encountered are described as being skinny or downright petite, yet this never seems to be a detriment to their fighting abilities.
* Zoe Durant in the ''Literature/AhrimanTrilogy'', though she explicitly uses arts designed to allow someone with her small frame to be effective in combat. She's also not above using tasers.
* Arkay in ''Literature/UrbanDragon'' is barely 5'3" and can pass for a high-schooler, but she can also punch through cinderblock and lift a car in a pinch.
* Ivypool in ''Literature/WarriorCats'' is a small and slender cat but thanks to her determination, efficient use of her agility, and the training she received from the Dark Forest, she is one of the most skilled fighters in the Clans.
* Literature/{{Spenser}} novels: The detective encounters small-framed women who are highly trained in martial arts, and who because of their training assume they can defeat anyone they come across in a fight. Spenser instructs them otherwise when the women try to beat him down, managing to willpower his way through a GroinAttack to beat one of them. He even goes so far to tell one of the women after the fight that, all other things being equal, the bigger, stronger person will beat the smaller person ''every single time'' so she shouldn't be upset over not winning their fight.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' shows Thalia, Annabeth, and Piper. These three girls are [[DivineParentage half-goddesses]], and despite their girlish stature, they are good fighters.
* Clary from ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' is a rather small red-haired girl. As a [[{{Nephilim}} shadowhunter]] she is [[SuperStrength superhumanly strong]], and in the middle of the plot of the first trilogy she becomes an [[ActionGirl action girl]].

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Arya who is trained in a Braavosi fencing style well-suited to her size and can work a bow. However, she realistically knows her limitations and never fights grown men head-on, instead resorting to poisons and sneak attacks.
* Scully from ''Series/TheXFiles'' often fell into this trope, seemingly capable of holding her own in a throw-down until [[DistressBall the writers needed her to be kidnapped]] (which also usually means [[TheWoobie when they needed Mulder to suffer]]).

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** Happened to Lana Lang in season 8, with the very brief and none-too convincing explanation that she had taken a self-defence course. She had had a waif-fu moment as early as Season 4, but she was [[GrandTheftMe possessed]] by Isobel Thoreaux, a WickedWitch and DarkActionGirl, at the time, thus justifying it at that time.
** Lois is also prone to this, although it's somewhat more believable thanks to her MilitaryBrat status, although it is still stretching things a bit as she basically beats anyone without a gun, and would knock the gun out of the hands of whoever has one.
** [[DarkActionGirl Tess]] a) is more of a bruiser, and b) [[CombatPragmatist just plain cheats]], thus averting the trope.
** In Season 10, Chloe Sullivan, after returning from working with Batman and Wonder Woman (albeit obliquely referred to) which neatly explains her well-honed fighting skills, allowing her to defeat multiple secret agents with guns without breaking a sweat.

* Cameron in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''. Justified by the fact that she is a Terminator. Cameron is played by Creator/SummerGlau, the same actress who played the "90-pound girl" seen in ''Firefly''. Interestingly enough, Cameron's small size, when compared with other Terminators, does actually play into the fight scenes; when she tackles another, larger robot in a straightforward slugging match she typically loses unless someone is helping her. It's only when she outmaneuvers or surprises a Terminator (for example, the "water delivery" Terminator, or Stark, or Cromartie the first time) that she wins without outside assistance.
* Fiona from ''Series/BurnNotice'' is a petite woman and no stranger to combat, but this trope is averted as she is a CombatPragmatist. On one occasion she was supposed to take down a large man to interrogate him later. She tried using a stun gun but he disarmed her in the attempt. She managed to get it back while he was trying to wrestle her down. After the narration explained that stun guns will shock you if your target is holding onto you, Fiona proceeded to stun the guy anyway, knowing her backup was nearby. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Leaving him having to deal with two unconscious bodies in a public parking lot]].
* Kira in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' is only of average size and build for a woman and doesn't seem very threatening from her appearance alone (her behaviour is [[TheLancer another thing]], though). However, she practically grew up as a [[LaResistance resistance fighter]] and in the last season is a certified ColonelBadass. She's the best hand to hand fighter on the entire station until Worf shows up.

* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': Joy Turner may come off as a typical trailer park mom, but years of Springer and a mean right hook make her a force when she gets really pissed. Just ask Earl's ex, a trained bounty hunter.
* Samantha Carter of ''Series/StargateSG1'', while 5'9" and so not precisely short, is blonde, adorable, shorter than all her SG-1 teammates by at least three inches, and at least twenty pounds lighter to boot. And yet she kicks ''at least'' as much ass as they do on a regular basis. Remember when she [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun blew up a sun]]??
* Phoebe from ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' does this occasionally but it's justified since she'd been shown practicing martial arts. In a few season 3 episodes [[GodModeSue Prue]] gained this [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands for no apparent reason]], even with [[TheHeart Piper]] trying to keep up. Unfortunately, these scenes are made rather unconvincingly.
* ''Series/{{Continuum}}'': Emily is a fairly petite and unassuming young woman, but when faced with large, muscular thugs, she can toss them around and hit them hard enough to knock them down.

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': Seems to be a requirement for joining the agency. With only some exceptions most of the cast are under 6 feet, so both the women ''and'' the men fall into this, leading to the implication that being short gives some unique advantage in combat[[note]]RealityIsUnrealistic; shorter stature ''can'' be a useful advantage with proper training - e.g. it may help in gaining leverage - and various martial arts employed by law enforcement agents are aimed at making use of this[[/note]]. Specific examples include:
** From the start of the show, the 5'4 Agent Melinda May is presented as a legendary agent who explicitly refuses to go out on missions armed, preferring to disarm people and use ''their's'' when she needs one. Throughout the show she's presented as unquestionably one of ''the'' toughest unarmed fighters, the only competition being [[Characters/MockingbirdMarvelComics Bobbi Morse]], who avoids being one herself by being a StatuesqueStunner (standing at 5'11, making her the third tallest character on the team).
** Though not at first, the show's main character Daisy Johnson, who's only about an inch taller than May, grows into an ActionGirl thanks to training from May, which is boosted once she's revealed as an Inhuman and develops superpowers. For the most part, this is justified; Daisy's fights are typically high on CombatPragmatist tactics (using GunFu (and later, her powers mixed in with regular combat) and the environment, moving around the room and ducking under tables, generally avoiding hits), but she's also got some advantages from being an Inhuman, as she's shown to have a much higher pain threshold (continuing to fight even with a broken arm) and some level of SuperToughness.
** Phil Coulson himself, who after being OvershadowedByAwesome in the films, proves to be an effective male example of this. Standing at 5'8 he's rather short (when the above women wear heels they stand at the same height) and looks rather unassuming, but is shown to be quite a martial artist himself (though it is stated that when on missions, May typically carries the heavy lifting in their fights). Later, he gets a cybernetic arm that gives him some level of super strength and a hard light shield, giving him ''some'' justification.
** Fitz and Simmons (respectively 5'8 and 5'4), the last of the original cast, actually started off explicitly as non-action characters, with harming them being seen as the ultimate KickTheDog moment for a villain, but thanks to their experiences the two became capable fighters. They're still the weakest in combat on the team, but they've become pretty good at the CombatPragmatist thing, using improvised weapons and the like.
** Outside the team, AntiVillain Agent 33 was a DarkActionGirl version of this. Standing the same height as the women, she was a pretty vicious fighter who could kick Daisy's ass prior to Daisy getting her powers and gave May one of her toughest fights in the show, one she ''just'' barely won. Agent 33 was actually once a loyal SHIELD agent before being brainwashed, so its evident that SHIELD trains its female fighters pretty damn well.
* Detective Alexandra "Alex" Eames of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' is five feet and two inches of slim, blonde, unadulterated badass. Despite the HugeGuyTinyGirl aspect of her relationship with partner Bobby Goren, ''she'' does most of the physical asskicking.
* Comes up quite a bit in ''Series/{{Chuck}}'':
** Although Sarah is played by 5'9" Creator/YvonneStrahovski, who certainly has the build to make her ActionGirl spy believable, she nonetheless relies mostly on this since she's frequently pitted against men who are ''significantly'' more massive (for example, Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan). With a handful of exceptions, all of her actual drag-out brawls on the show were with [[DesignatedGirlFight other women]].
** Anna Wu (played by 5'2" Julia Ling) once beat up a bully from the local sporting goods store (played by 6'5" ''Michael Strahan'') relying on her speed, agility, and judicious use of a [[ImprovisedWeapon camera tripod]]. Her skills even impressed ''[[TheBigGuy Casey]]''.
** The same often goes for many of the other lady spies that turn up, such as Carina (played by the slim tall drink of water Creator/MiniAnden) and the rest of the CAT Squad. They have no trouble taking on men much more massive than themselves by relying on SheFu rather than raw power.
** Ditto for the ''actually'' short (comparatively speaking) Morgan while he had the Intersect. Creator/JoshuaGomez's 5'8" height was often exaggerated for comedic effect, and much like Chuck relied on speed and the Intersect's extensive martial arts database to fight much larger opponents.
* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** Superpowered figures aside, the two best candidates for WorldsBestWarrior in-universe are Oliver Queen and Sara Lance, the latter of whom is played by Creator/CaityLotz, who is billed at 5'5" but is visibly ''shorter'' than that, and is consistently the shortest character in most of her scenes. Justified somewhat, as Caity Lotz [[RealityIsUnrealistic is actually an accomplished martial artist]] who has NoStuntDouble because she actually ''can'' kick the amount of ass she does on TV. Also, unlike most examples, though she's lean and small she's visibly very well toned.
** Thea Queen is a straighter example, who's tiny size is even lampshaded, but she's also more-or-less the heir to the League of Assassins, and in only a few months went from a DamselInDistress club going teen to an ActionGirl immune to pain. In-universe, the League of Assassins' training regime is apparently ''that'' good.

* Effectively canon in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' and more specifically the {{Role Playing Game}} version ''Mechwarrior'', where player characters can take significant risks to bring down [[HumongousMecha Battlemechs]] on their own. The canonical example is Cassie Suthorn of the Camacho's Caballeros mercenary regiment, a petite woman described as unable to weigh a hundred pounds without wearing a soaking wet bathrobe first. She knows the agile and evasive Indonesian martial art ''pentjak silat'', and the skills that come with knowing the art have proven handy in helping her hunt and kill the enemy 'Mechs more or less singlehandedly. She has a kill count of over a ''battalion'' of Battlemechs of varying weights without riding one of her own--it's noted that the vast majority of her 'Mech-piloting comrades, even the ones in Assault 'Mechs, don't have a kill record that high. She is also no slouch in hand to hand combat, regularly defeating the setting's equivalent of SecretPolice Space Ninja.

* ZigZaggingTrope in ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', as DependingOnTheArtist and game the female cast members alternate between slender waifs and [[AmazonianBeauty Amazonian Beauties]].
** Sakura Kasugano and her rival, Karin Kanzuki, who is out to prove that ''her'' Waif Fu is stronger than Sakura's. Canonically, she succeeds but decides that the real importance lies in the thrill of the fight.
** Also applies to Cammy, who at 5'4 1/2" is one of the smallest members of the cast (two inches shorter than Chun-Li, by comparison), but she can still knock the block off the likes of Zangief or T. Hawk.
** Chun Li's height is 5'6½", and her weight has not been disclosed, which enables her to pull off some powerful moves and impressive legwork.
* In the ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'' series, petite pre-teen Amy can apparently block blows from weapons delivered by enormous men wielding axes, swords, and maces. As well as [[BlowYouAway Talim,]] [[ChineseGirl Xianghua,]] and [[{{Ninja}} Taki]].
* Used to hilarious excess in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends The Misadventures of Tron Bonne]]''. After declaring how she'd been taking self-defense courses since the last time they met, policewoman Denise proceeds to manhandle Tron's ''HumongousMecha'' by judo throwing it around town.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'''s Presea Combatir. That axe has got to weigh more than she does.
** Also Colette from the same game. You don't see as much of it with her as you do with Presea, but if you can watch her pick up a huge, muscular man that probably weighs twice as much as her without ANY effort whatsoever, then say she isn't strong, you're insane. Granted, she has angel powers, but still, it's damn impressive.
** Sophie from ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'', despite being only about 5 ft. tall and looks like a skinny little twig, can plow all her enemies into the ground with her gauntlets like there's no tomorrow.

* Nessiah, from ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'', is one of the exceedingly rare male examples of this trope. Not only is he tiny--he's stuck in a set of heavy chains that should by all rights make any form of combat impossible. And yet he manages to [[GameBreaker thrash the player's entire army with ease]]. The fact that he's a mage isn't even an excuse, as most magic-users in ''Yggdra Union'' [[SquishyWizard have very low attack stats to match their lack of physical strength]].
* Saber in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' but to her credit when she isn't buffing herself with magic strength she's actually a good deal weaker than either Shirou or Tohsaka. It'd be even harder to believe otherwise from her considering she's about five feet tall and weighs ninety pounds. Although she can be physically weakened that does not reduce her insane [[MasterSwordsman skill]].
** Rin seem to fit this role too, if not more so.
** Both of them use magic power to compensate for lack of strength. And in Tohsaka's case, to get around an opponent ([[spoiler:Caster]]) who's otherwise immune to pure physical attacks.
* Ciel from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' usually just chucks swords. Okay, kinda believable. But then she lugs around a gun that weighs more than she does, and it doesn't seem to slow her down that badly? Uh, okay. At least Arcueid is a vampire and has magical super strength or something. Actually, Arcueid admits outright that most of her strength has nothing to do with muscle mass and only considers herself as 'athletic' without it, enough to dodge Shiki's knife if he were to try something.
* Konoko, the slightly-built protagonist from ''VideoGame/{{Oni}}'', makes a habit of beating up on burly stormtrooper types.
* Just about any FightingGame allows even the smallest girl to throw the biggest and fattest man. One example would be the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series where you can kick/punch/throw a character into a wall (or right through it, breaking the wall) from quite some distance, or down to a lower stage, defying the laws of physics.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series has Hinako Shijo, a [[ButNotTooForeign half-Russian]] Japanese schoolgirl... ''who is a sumo wrestler!'' And yes, she can toss people like Chang into the ground!

* Kunimitsu in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' has a character model with a somewhat muscular build but it also shows her to be the shortest woman in the series. It doesn't prevent her from fighting evenly with the other characters. Xiaoyu, Miharu, Eliza, and Lucky Chloe who are almost as short and are even slimmer don't have any extra difficulty either.
* There are also have Gnome and Goblin females in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' who are just the tiniest of the females out there in the Alliance and Horde respectively. But when played as a warrior they become tiny titans who can tank raids as well as any Draenei or Tauren male... the largest player characters possible on the same sides of the fence as the aforementioned females. And with the application of the proper talents, these mighty minis will wear full plate armor, and wield a gigantic two-handed weapon in each hand, all the while moving like a ballerina on the battlefield. Not to mention what they can do with straight-up DPS as rogues, death knights, or other melee combat classes. Forsaken females may also qualify for this trope as well when one considers that there is literally little left to them but skin and bone, looking as if they could fall apart with a good hit from a thick stick. Granted, the difference in size can be completely negligible compared to some bosses such as dragons, demons, elemental lords, and the occasional HumongousMecha. Each of these looks like they could crush an entire raid group with one stomp, thus making this trope apply to just about everyone.
* Female Elves and Dwarves in ''Franchise/DragonAge'' are both much smaller than Humans (either in build or height), but aren't to be reckoned with. The Warden in particular. Subverted in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' - Merrill (who is very small/thin) is a mage, but she can be built to withstand a lot of punishment (making her a weirdly effective StoneWall), especially compared to Anders, the fragile human male mage.
* No one is saying The Boss from the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series is a waif, but compared to Volgin, she is lighter, a little shorter, and has 10 million fewer volts of electricity flowing through her. None of that stops her from throwing him to ground ''very'' easily. In fact, the only time Volgin is visibly scared is when he inadvertently insults The Boss. Also of mention is Paz in Peace Walker, if Snake is too...forward on their date, she sends him flying with a slap.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' allows you to make any class any size, but since they can all kick ass it's not impossible to meet up with tiny female front-row fighters.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, any melee light armor female build effectively becomes this. It's particularly noticeable in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where you can choose the physical build of the PlayerCharacter for the first time in the series. Thus, you can make a female PlayerCharacter of an already waify race (Breton, Khajiit, Bosmer, etc.) even wispier, though still quite deadly. In addition, you can learn the [[BulletTime Slow Time]], [[FlashStep Whirlwind Sprint]], and [[BladeSpam Elemental Fury]] [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] [[MakeMeWannaShout Shouts]] to really bolster the effect. Conversely, a melee heavy armor female build heads into GlacierWaif territory and that same slider can allow you to make her a large ([[BoobsOfSteel and busty]]) AmazonianBeauty or [[BeastMan Beast Woman]] (depending on race).
* Emmy Altava from ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton''. Just watch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=276QbAlcaow these]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5E79PP3meo cutscenes]] from ''[[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter The Last Specter]]''.

* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' has Miss Tatsu, who teaches the "Beast" style. Despite her being a relatively unassuming, svelte-looking woman, she's shown capably beating the seven shades of shit out of a group of armed thugs, and is infamous in the game world as a highly-effective debt collector.

[[folder:Visual Novel]]

* ''Webcomic/TwiceBlessed'' has Pella Brightwing, a pixie warrior princess who in her first fight in the comic takes out two robots the size of houses.
* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' has several examples:
** Ping, who is a robot girl.
** Miho. In addition to various improbable acrobatic feats such as dodging an electric ray, disabling it, instantly vacating the scene in a matter of seconds, and walking quite calmly on telephone lines, she also grabbed a car by the hood and crushed it by flipping it over ''with one hand''.
** Yuki as well. Although she has not displayed excessive strength or combat skills she also can walk normally on telephone wires (until she realized where she was and promptly fell). She also apparently possesses the power of teleportation which she used to steal, among other things, a whole rent-a-zilla...''twice''. She also defeated a small horde of Zombie Rangers by throwing appliances at them. Including a washing machine. A remarkable feat, considering most conventional weapons would most likely have been unequal to the task. It has been directly stated that Yuki is indeed a MagicalGirl, as always suspected. Very likely Miho is one as well.
* ''Webcomic/CiemWebcomicSeries''. Candi Levens, and just about everyone else female in her world except for [[ButchLesbian Claire Rauscher]].
* Rain from ''Webcomic/TriquetraCats''. Even before getting her magic powers, she is still a black belt champion in 9 different martial arts (including one not normally taught to humans) despite being a 14-year-old girl with the build of a 10-year-old girl.

* There a bunch of {{Action Girl}}s and other ass-kicking ladies in ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', but none have a frame like an AmazonianBeauty.

%%* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'''s Oasis.
* Chen-Chen in ''Webcomic/{{Harkovast}}'' is a lot more dangerous then she looks, at one point smashing a man's skull with her fist!
* In ''Webcomic/SeventySeas'', [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/70_Seas/5254143/ on only the second page]] we see Nikol Mimagi (a.k.a. Mimagi Niku), [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/70_Seas/5256683/ a 13-year-old ninja]] who is [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/70_Seas/5261862/ easily the most lethal]] of the three main characters even though the other two are adults.
* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'': During her childhood, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20161220142413/http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1990822/o-brothers-where-art-ow/ Jane got tired of getting picked on]] by her older brothers. (Of course, it helps that [[ActionMom her mom was a ninja.]])

%%* Sydney of ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'', even without her powers.
* Lourdes of ''Webcomic/MysticRevolution'' manages to throw novice player L33t [=Ninj4=] hard into a wall, with a whip, from across a gorge. She also hits a Dryad Berserker (claimed the strongest class-race combo in the game world) clear off the ring, with her bare fist. Granted that she is built like a moderator.
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Jones is a small, slender woman who can casually go toe-to-toe with the massive Sir James Eglamore and easily defeat him in close-quarters combat. Of course, the fact that she's [[spoiler: an indestructible entity who has been around since the geological formation of Earth]] helps quite a bit.

* ''Webcomic/GirlsOfTheWild'' is built on this trope. A large majority of the recurring cast is female, and everyone can easily knock men twice their size to the ground through a variety of means. In fact, the ''only'' female character that can't do this is Jaegu's younger sister.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}'': [[Characters/TeenTitansStarfire Starfire]] who was much stronger than the much bigger, cybernetically-enhanced [[Characters/TeenTitansNewTeenTitans Cyborg]]. Interestingly, this was explained as ''not'' being a superpower in as much as [[PunyEarthlings an ability of her species]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': The heroes of the were realistically limited for the most part, but Sally Acorn periodically managed to jump-kick or toss a seven-foot robot in a way that a three-foot rodent probably shouldn't.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Toph is a little, blind 12-year old. She routinely kicks everyone's tails. In fact, the only fight she's ever in where she loses is against the protagonist, and that's only because she had never fought an Airbender before. Hell, the only time she ever really gets injured is by [[spoiler:Zuko, when she walks up to his camp and is caught by surprise by his fiery defense]]. It's true that she almost never makes direct contact with those she fights and uses Earthbending instead, but still. Hell, she's the most powerful and talented Earthbender in the entire ''Avatar'' universe. In the final episode, she metal bends the bridge door of a Fire Nation's zeppelin, [[spoiler: ''wraps it around herself as a second layer of skin, and becomes [[MadeOfIron Iron Kid]]'']].
** Ty Lee has no Bending ability, she carries no weapons, she's a skinny, perky cutie ... and she can totally incapacitate you by hitting you in the pressure points while remaining impossible to hit.
** Then there’s June. She’s a badass bounty-hunter, who can effortlessly beat a man twice her size in arm-wrestling.
** To a lesser degree, the Kyoshi Warriors when they aren't under TheWorfEffect.
* Valerie from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is a minor version being a girl but reasonably hefty. Aside from being stated to be a ninth degree level black belt (despite being only fourteen), she routinely kicks powerful ghosts' butts on a daily basis. At one point she engaged combat on her ''own battle suit'', possessed by a ghost (and managed to hold herself in said battle pretty durn well).
* Sue Ellen from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' is only 8 and one of the smallest kids in 3rd grade, yet has good enough martial arts skills that she can flip Binky, the biggest and heaviest kid in her class as if he weighed nothing.
%%* Spinelli from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''.

* Rarity on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a delicate fashion designer and obsessed with high society. That doesn't stop her from beating down Applejack (Physically the strongest of the main cast), or knocking out a [[ShapeShifting changeling]] with one well-placed sucker punch.
* Dora Standpipe in the classic Creator/ChuckJones short ''WesternAnimation/TheDoverBoys'', despite her beanpole appearance, is able to [[OffhandBackhand casually fling]] villain Dan Backslide across a room.. even as she pounds on the door and calls for help.
* Rayla from ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' is a very skinny elf. Nevertheless, she is at least initially the best fighter in her group (granted, since the other two members are a pair of ordinary human boys, this isn’t saying much). Justified in the context of the show, where elves almost always have a slender build and are born with a connection to Primal Magic, which enhances their speed and strength.

%%* Asami from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' also qualifies.

* Characters/{{Robin}}: Each incarnation is typically a male example (except the aforementioned Steph when she took the role briefly), as they're mostly young pre-teens who are rarely drawn as being impressively built, but are capable combatants who can be BackToBackBadass with Batman, usually showcased with them fighting like this. Damian Wayne might be the ''worst'' example of this of anyone, though, as he's only ''10'', ''looks'' it, and has been shilled as being the best fighter of them.

* Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} almost all the time, as a short, slim woman who fights like a brawler, sometimes with a massive comedy hammer. Slightly justified in the main DC continuity, as although this is seldom brought up, in her first mainstream-canon appearance [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] gave her a SuperSerum that gave her moderately superhuman strength, agility, and durability. Or some people might see her [[PowerBornOfMadness complete insanity]] as justifying it.

* In ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' the deadliest swordsman is not Manji, the immortal main character, or Anotsu, the BigBad, but Makie, a skinny, waif-like former prostitute who killed sixty wolves in one night at the age of ''ten''. The trope is ultimately {{averted|Trope}} when Manji comments on how Makie's muscles are weaker than his and that her true advantage is her speed combined with her skill that she uses to give her segregated BladeOnAStick more power through sheer momentum.

* [[BladeOnAStick Etna,]] [[{{Ninja}} Yukimaru,]] [[AxCrazy Sapphire...]]Oh to hell with it; just about every young female character from the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series. [[MusclesAreMeaningless Muscle is entirely optional]]

* Yuki Nagato of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' has combat skills and power belied by her schoolgirl appearance. This is due to her [[RewritingReality reality-hacking powers]]. ([[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3428015/1/The_Trouble_with_Timelines this fanfic]] describes her as "[[Film/TheMatrix Agent Smith's]] niece.")

* In ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'', Taiga's doll-like appearance doesn't prevent her from handing out {{Megaton Punch}}es. In a way, it's subverted later when in an actual contest of strength, Ryuji easily pins her to a wall.

* [[TheStoic Koneko]] of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' is the shortest member of the group and looks like she should still be in grade school. She also has the power of The Rook, which supernaturally enhances her strength several times over and makes her the team's muscle. Not to say she's unstoppable though; even with the power of The Rook, opponents with Queen or even King-level power can overpower her, and for good reason.

* Aiz Wallenstein from ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' is the strongest fighter of her family. On the basis of her physique, you can not see her power.

* ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'' shows Shana. She is superhumanly strong as Flame Haze, though she looks like a normal teenage girl.

* {{Deconstructed}} in ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight''. The slim and unmuscular Kujioka Mika makes it to the quarterfinals in the TournamentArc by defeating heavier wrestler Anastasia Ibrahimov with {{Combat Pragmatis|t}}m (a DelayedCausality strike to the kidney that [[DisqualificationInducedVictory forced the victor to drop out]]) and another with a fair knockout. However, she still took significant beatings in both fights, and the injuries last and cause her problems in the final rounds a week later.

* An unusual take on this is [[Characters/AntManHeroes The Wasp]], a character whose primary ability is to shrink down in size. Henry Pym devised a form of martial arts that takes full advantage of being several millimeters tall while retaining normal human-sized strength and mass, but Wasp can still kick ass at normal size which is over five feet tall, thanks to Captain America.

* The women of the ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' franchise tend to be very slender, but are able to kick much ass, notably Lucy Wilde and Scarlet Overkill.

** Happened to Lana Lang in season 8, with the very brief and none-too convincing explanation that she had taken a self-defence course. She had had a waif-fu moment as early Season 4, but she was [[GrandTheftMe possessed]] by Isobel Thoreaux, a WickedWitch and DarkActionGirl, at the time, thus justifying it at that time.

* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', most military personnel and mercenaries are equipped with soldier boosts, which boost strength and other attributes, and low-profile power armor, which looks like your standard space clothes but block bullets, allow flight and further increase strength. This means that most of the women in the comic can pull this off, [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-01-24 with one example being 19-year-old TeenGenius Para Ventura taking out a small mob on her own.]]

* {{Deconstructed}} in ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight'': Rui Takato puts a much more realistic amount of emphasis on height, weight, and musculature than FightingSeries involving women typically do. Protagonist Haebaru Misora, a national-level UsefulNotes/{{karate}}ka, only narrowly beats Romanian ex-sumo wrestler Vlad Rosch with a PressurePoint strike, and wins her first two TournamentArc matches not because she's a noticeably better fighter, but primarily because she's much taller and stronger than either of her opponents (respectively Airi and Chompoo Shinlat). Similarly, former US pro wrestling {{heel}} Veronica Lin, a 205 cm, 110-kilo giant, utterly trashes her smaller opponent Elena Silva: getting into a slugging match with Lin is compared to trying to fistfight a truck, so rather than try, Maria Riviera outmaneuvers her and chokes her out.