Line #30 Characters/BatmanLadyShiva


1	[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Batman}} Main Character Index]]'''\
2	'''Title Character'''\
3	[[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman]] ([[Characters/BatmanBruceWayne Bruce Wayne]])\
4	'''Allies'''\
5	[[Characters/BatmanBatFamily The Bat-Family]] (Characters/{{Batgirl}} \| Characters/{{Batwoman}} \| [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] \| Characters/{{Robin}}) \| [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast Extended Bat-Family & Other Supporting Cast]] (Characters/{{Azrael}} \| [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]])\
6	'''[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGallery Villains]]'''\
7	[[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] \| Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) \| [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] \| Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) \| [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] \| '''Lady Shiva''' \| [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] \| [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) \| [[Characters/BatmanMrFreeze Mr. Freeze]] \| [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] \| [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] \| [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] \| [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] \| [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]] \| [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-F]] \| [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 G-L]] \| [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 M-R]] \| [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart4 S-Z]]\
8	'''Spin-Offs'''\
9	''Characters/Batgirl2000'' \| ''Characters/BatmanIncorporated'' \| ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' ([[Characters/DarkNightsMetalTheBatmanWhoLaughs The Batman Who Laughs]]) \| ''Characters/IAmBatman'' \| ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) \| ''Characters/{{The Outsiders\|DCComics}}'' \| ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' \| ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) \| ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]
10
11	!!'''Lady Shiva'''
12	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_shiva.jpg]]
13	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ladyshiva1_1190.jpg]]
14	[[caption-width-right:350:Is this [[OneHitKO beating]] for business or [[BloodKnight the buzz?]]\
15	[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Both!]]]]
16	!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Sandra Wu-San
17	!!! '''Species:''' Human
18	!!! '''First appearance:''' ''ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter #5'' (December 1975)
19
20	-> ''"...I respect courage. Even foolish courage like yours. From such foolishness is born the soul of a warrior. We will meet again when you are grown, little bird. And that day will be the last on Earth--for ''one'' of us."''
21	-->-- '''Lady Shiva''', to [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]
22
23	Lady Shiva is a Creator/DCComics character created in the short-lived ''[[ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Master]]'' series in 1976 (notably, during the kung-fu craze kicked off by the popularity of Creator/BruceLee). She was an archetypical DragonLady, complete with sinister motivations and exotic sex appeal. From the start, she was set up as Richard's [[TheRival rival]] in martial arts ability, and the two even [[FriendlyEnemy teamed up from time to time]]. Usually, however, she works as a ProfessionalKiller, selling her fighting skills to the highest bidder. She's not in it for the money, though--[[BloodKnight she simply enjoys battle]].
24
25	Lady Shiva is best known for her [[TheDreaded reputation]] as [[TheAce the single greatest martial artist]] in the Franchise/DCUniverse, in terms of pure skill. Other masters, such as ComicBook/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, [[ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey Black Canary]], and others, are usually depicted as being inferior to her or just barely on equal terms. But while Shiva craves a [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen fair fight]] against a WorthyOpponent, most [[RoguesGalleryTransplant crimefighters encounter her]] as an obstacle hired by the current ArcVillain, whereupon they have to [[OutsideTheBoxTactic figure out a way to deal with her]] without being lured into a [[CombatPragmatist fair duel]]. Despite her abilities, she [[TheWorfEffect has been defeated on several occasions by numerous characters]], but almost always with [[WorfHadTheFlu some kind of Hand Wave to explain it]].
26
27	Though she began as the ArchNemesis of the aforementioned ComicBook/RichardDragon, she is [[BreakoutVillain FAR more famous than he ever became]], and thus is more known as the antagonist of ComicBook/{{Batman}}, [[ComicBook/{{Robin}} Tim Drake]], [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain]], and the ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey. She's developed into something of a NobleDemon, showing VillainRespect to characters whose warrior prowess she respects, especially those she thinks may be able to [[SuperiorSuccessor succeed her as the top fighter]] in the DCU. She's usually willing to train anyone (hero and villain alike) on the condition that a year or so later, they hone their skills and face her in a fair DuelToTheDeath.
28
29	She is instrumental in the origin story of Victor Sage, otherwise known as ComicBook/TheQuestion. After Vic pried into a corruption scandal, Shiva was hired to eliminate him. Impressed with his spirit, Shiva rescued Vic after he was dumped in a river and brought him to train with Richard Dragon, who taught Vic most of his lifestyle choices. She also has FriendlyEnemy status with Vic's successor, Renee Montoya.
30
31	Later stories also revealed Shiva to be the biological mother of [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]], [[InTheBlood to whom she passed not only her fighting ability]], but Shiva's "instincts" and insight to read body language and fight with speed and precision. Thanks to her [[AbusiveParents "upbringing" by her father]], Cassandra is capable of using this ability on a [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower level beyond what a human should be capable of.]] This greatly pleases Shiva, as she sees her own biological daughter as the natural choice to be her heir. Having defeated Shiva twice, Cassandra has largely supplanted her in being considered the DCU's strongest martial artist, although Shiva still has the title on a technicality. (Cassandra has adopted Batman's [[ThouShaltNotKill code against killing.]])
32
33	During DC's ''One Year Later'' event, Shiva and Black Canary switched places for a time, with Shiva using the CodeName "Jade Canary". Since then, she's made several [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor turns from villain to anti-hero and back again]].
34
35	After DC's 2011 reboot into the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'', there is little known about Shiva's status in the new continuity, other than a brief appearance opposite Nightwing. She later also appears as an adversary of the ''ComicBook/SecretSix''.
36
37	DC's Rebirth event reintroduces her in a manner closer to her pre-Flashpoint counterpart, though with the major difference that this version of the character is the leader of the League of Shadows, a secret organization that Batman believes is only a myth.
38
39	Shiva made an appearance as an optional side-boss in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' as one of the eight assassins hired by Black Mask to kill Batman.
40	----
41	!!Lady Shiva Appears in:
42	[[AC:Notable Comic Books]]
43	* ''ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter'' Vol 1 (1976 - 1977)
44	* ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'' Vol 1 (1987 - 2010) [-intermittent appearances-]
45	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' Vol 1 (1988 - 2003) [-intermittent appearances-] [[note]]First appears in issue 426 during ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''[[/note]]
46	* ''ComicBook/{{Robin\|1993}}'' Vol 1 (1991 - 1991)
47	* ''ComicBook/{{Robin\|1993}}'' Vol 4 (1994 - 2009) [-intermittent appearances-] [[note]]First appears in issue 8[[/note]]
48	* ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl\|2000}}'' Vol 1 (2000 - 2006) [-intermittent appearances-] [[note]]First appears in issue 7[[/note]]
49	* ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' Vol 1 (2003 - 2007) [-intermittent appearances-] [[note]]First appears in issue 58[[/note]]
50	* ''ComicBook/RichardDragon'' Vol 1 (2004 - 2005)
51	* ''Webcomic/LilGotham'' Vol 1 (2012 - 2013) [-intermittent appearances-]
52
53	[[AC:Live Action TV]]
54	* ''Series/{{Birds Of Prey\|2002}}'' (2002) [-played by-] Sung Hi Lee
55
56	[[AC:Video Games]]
57	* ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'' (2011)
58	* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' (2013) [-voiced by-] Creator/KellyHu
59
60	[[AC:Western Animation]]
61	* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'' (2009) [-voiced by-] Creator/RachaelMacFarlane
62	* ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' (2013 - 2014) [-voiced by-] Creator/FinolaHughes
63	* ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' (2015 - 2018) [-voiced by-] Creator/TaniaGunadi
64	* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' (2019-) [-voiced by-] Creator/GwendolineYeo
65	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanSoulOfTheDragon'' (2021) [-reprised by-] Creator/KellyHu
66
67	----
68	!!Tropes Associated with Lady Shiva
69
70	* TheAce: She's considered the single greatest martial artist in the DC Universe, in terms of pure skill. Only Richard Dragon can be considered her equal, and only her daughter, Cassandra Cain, is considered overall superior.
71	* ActionMom: She's one of the deadliest and most active martial artists on earth and also a mother to Cassandra Cain. Deconstructed in that she's spent no time whatsoever being a mother and left her daughter with the abusive man who sired her.
72	* AdaptationPersonalityChange:
73	** Post-Crisis she dialed back on her DeadpanSnarker tendencies and became much more serious and menacing.
74	** Rebirth has her attempt to destroy Gotham with a nuclear bomb. Pre-Flashpoint, she was consistently shown to dislike mass murder for its inelegance and cowardice (though certainly not due to the actual loss of life).
75	* AdaptationalWimp: Many Batman-centric adaptations that feature her as a member of his RoguesGallery depict Batman as being capable of defeating her by himself in a straight fight, whereas in the comics ''the best'' he can usually hope for is to hold his against her for a bit or very sparingly fight her off long enough to come up with a more unorthodox approach. Sometimes it's moreso Batman receiving the AdaptationalBadass treatment (such as in the ''Arkham'' games) but even adaptations that put more emphasis on Batman's fallible human nature (like ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'') have instances of him beating Shiva.
76	* AffablyEvil: If you're a WorthyOpponent. FauxAffablyEvil to everyone else.
77	* AllAsiansKnowMartialArts: Probably the most infamous example in the DC Universe, thanks to the Creator/BruceLee craze of TheSeventies, though her sister was originally an aversion who ended up dead in a situation where she'd have been able to easily escape with even a little martial arts knowledge. Her sister was later retconned to be a natural martial artist like Shiva.
78	* AmbiguouslyHuman: Shiva and her daughter have both accomplished feats that should be impossible for a normal human. While Cassandra's TrainingFromHell was thought to be the source of these abilities, the reveal that her mother is Shiva, who has them ''without'' such intense training, raises many questions.
79	* AmbiguousSituation: Exactly where she ranks in terms of martial arts ability post-''ComicBook/New52'' is something that has been extremely glossed-over. Many of her appearances have claimed her to be "one of" the strongest fighters on Earth, but due to the BroadStrokes canon, it has been left unclear exactly what the rankings are. Further complicating matters was the unknown canonicity of other contenders such as Richard Dragon, Ben Turner, Cassandra Cain and Connor Hawke. ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' and, later, ''ComicBook/DCInfiniteFrontier'' somewhat addressed these by CanonWelding most of the Post-Crisis continuity back into the DC Universe, but there's still never been a truly definitive answer.
80	* AngstySurvivingTwin: What caused her StartOfDarkness.
81	* AntiHero: From time to time.
82	* AntagonistInMourning: During her final duel with Richard Dragon, Richard had finally managed to corner her and was poised to deliver his signature attack, the Leopard Blow (which is fatal). One of Shiva's goons saved her life, and the angry Shiva felt insulted and killed the intruder. She and Richard resumed their duel, and this time she won (killing him). She was ''very'' upset that their final duel ended this way, when Richard technically should have been the winner.
83	* ArchEnemy: She's been one to Richard Dragon, the Question, ''and'' Batgirl, though with the former two she tended to [[EnemyMine team up]] as often as she fought them. In terms of personal hatred, [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Cheshire]] is probably the only person that Shiva actively despises.
84	* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Has a deep superiority complex due to her mastery of martial arts. She can be very amiable to someone she considers an equal, though.
85	* AsianBabyMama: Inverted. She knew of the pregnancy and childbirth, but David Cain walked off with her daughter at birth while she went about her own business for 17 years before laying eyes on her again.
86	* BadassNormal: Just barely. Some of her feats (like bringing back the dead) are very nearly in the territory of SupernaturalMartialArts and CharlesAtlasSuperpower. Regardless, she is a world-class martial artists, with few equals and fewer still who can claim to surpass her.
87	* BadassLongcoat: A look she adopted from the 90s onward.
88	* BerserkButton: Don't intervene in a fight with her to help her, or she'll kill you on the spot. She takes having a level playing field ''very'' seriously.
89	* BloodKnight: The only thing she cares about is finding a WorthyOpponent that will one day defeat and succeed her (And by "defeat", she means ''kill'').
90	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Claims she cannot kill anyone unless "they permit [her] to" and despite a general disdain for people, she shows unabashed respect for those who are good at their jobs, whatever they may be.
91	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: During the ''ComicBook/PublicEnemies2004'' storyarc in ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'', Shiva is one of several villains to show up to fight the Duo. She's defeated rather easily by Batman, and this is later explained by her being [[WorfHadTheFlu mind-controlled by Gorilla Grodd]].
92	* BreakoutCharacter: Of the team of three which she debuted in, she's massively surpassed Richard Dragon and Ben Turner in popularity. The trio are ''meant'' to be the top-three greatest fighters in DC, but because of the latter two's relative obscurity, she's gained infamy as the best fighter in the DCU, with a wide margin between her and the rest of the competition[[note]]when writers ''remember'' Richard and Turner exist, though, they ''do'' tend to be placed as second and third after her, so it's less that they're seen as inferior so much as they're ''forgotten about entirely''[[/note]].
93	* BreakoutVillain: More people have likely heard of her than Richard Dragon.
94	* ButNotTooForeign: She's Asian, but grew up at least partially in Detroit.
95	* CanonDiscontinuity: [[invoked]] Her ''ComicBook/New52'' appearances, which chose to make her around Dick's age (seen as an attempt to write out Cassandra Cain, who was seen as a CreatorsPest by Creator/DanDiDio) and gave her an appearance that was ridiculed by fans for the inclusion of spikes in her hair. Following Cassandra's reintroduction in ''ComicBook/BatmanAndRobinEternal'' and ''DC Rebirth'' happening, Shiva's restored to her previous appearance and history, and zero reference is made to how she was depicted in the interim.
96	* CharacterisationClickMoment: Shiva was originally portrayed as a SkilledButNaive BloodKnight who was certainly a great fighter, but nothing that Richard Dragon or Bronze Tiger hadn't seen before. In the late 80s, she began making appearances in ''Batman'', ''The Question'' and ''Robin'' books (most frequently in {{Bat Family Crossover}}s), which depicted her current "hobby" of challenging top martial arts masters and killing them in a DuelToTheDeath in front of their students. This, in addition to her displaying a sort of "[[IceCreamKoan inscrutable Eastern wisdom]]" quickly gave her the reputation of [[TheDreaded a martial artist]] that even Batman and his partners wanted to avoid. Nowadays, she is reputed as being the [[WorldsBestWarrior world's greatest martial artist]], and basically in a league all her own.
97	* ChosenConceptionPartner: For David Cain, in the pre-Flashpoint continuity. He decided he wanted her to be the mother of his "ultimate assassin" after seeing her at a martial arts tournament in Detroit, and killing her sister Carolyn was part of his plan to make it happen. She accepted after he used the League to help him defeat her in exchange for her life, and it was this incident that inspired her to become Lady Shiva. And thus, that is how Cassandra Cain, the future Batgirl, was born.
98	* CombatClairvoyance: She and her sister were born with this ability, which is what makes her a natural genius at martial arts. This gift was also passed along to her daughter Cassandra, and David Cain enhanced it through an abusive TrainingFromHell.
99	* TheCorrupter:
100	** David Cain was this for her, murdering her sister to TeachHerAnger, and awaken the BloodKnight within.
101	** In turn, she herself attempts this for several other characters, when she feels like their morals are holding them back from their true potential.
102	* CynicismCatalyst: When David murdered her sister, Carolyn.
103	* DarkActionGirl: One of the best examples in the DC Universe.
104	* DarkIsEvil: When she's not wearing green, she's typically clad in black.
105	* DeadpanSnarker: Towards anyone she sees as beneath her respect (which is most people) and to Richard Dragon.
106	** When Tim Drake trains with her in ''Robin Vol 1 4'', and chooses a non-lethal retractable staff, [[https://www.quora.com/What-did-Lady-Shiva-teach-Tim-Drake Shiva mocks the decision as very "Christian" and "white" of him.]]
107	* DependingOnTheArtist: Whether she has long hair or short hair varies a lot.
108	* DependingOnTheWriter:
109	** Is she a ProfessionalKiller? A wandering BloodKnight? Or someone so AboveGoodAndEvil that her motivations are incomprehensible? It really depends on the day.
110	** Her level of ability also shifts drastically, especially when it comes to fighting superhumans. She's helpless against a low-level psychic in one miniseries, but in Joker's Last Laugh she issued a CurbStompBattle to ''Supergirl''.
111	* DeathSeeker: Was portrayed as one when she battled Cassandra in their final duel, and she was also furious at a mook for saving her from what would have almost assuredly been a fatal bout with Richard Dragon and killed them for their trouble.
112	%%* DeliverUsFromEvil: In ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl\|2000}}'', it's shown to be her StartOfDarkness.
113	* DragonLady: Asian, sinister, exotic, and sexy.
114	* TheDreaded: Just mentioning that she's in town is usually enough to scare the shit out of any skilled martial artist. Not even ''Batman'' is fond of facing her in a fight.
115	-->'''Mr. Combustible:''' Oh Oswald... '''you're''' scared of a "mob killer"? '''Really?'''\
116	'''The Penguin:''' It's not a mob killer. It's '''Lady Shiva'''.\
117	'''Mr. Combustible:''' Come, girls. Let us find better accommodations for tonight.\
118	'''Girl #1:''' What? Where?\
119	'''Mr. Combustible: Anywhere but Gotham.'''
120	* DuelToTheDeath: She LOVES these, but that doesn't stop her from being forced into an InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath every now and then. Usually, people use her to get others into them. She'd rather choose her own targets.
121	* EveryoneHasStandards: Shiva might be eager to test herself against the Bat-Family in combat, but when she was approached for training by the likes of Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, or even Bruce Wayne (currently suffering a crisis of confidence after his recent back injury), she accepted the request and never tried to kill them while they were weak. She also mentions that she had such respect for her old teacher, Sensei Otomo, that she never uses the skills he taught her in fights where her goal is the death of her opponents.
122	* EvilFormerFriend: Shiva was never a hero, and he eagerness to kill meant that she Richard and [[ComicBook/BronzeTiger Ben]] butted heads back when they used to regularly go on adventures together, but these days she's much darker and would be ecstatic to fight Rich to the death and unconcerned with Ben's well being. Of course their friendship was always tenuous at best anyway, but she did go out of her way to pull Rich out of a funk when he thought Ben had been killed, though it's implied she was part of the plot that resulted in Ben's disappearance.
123	* EvilIsNotAToy: Several characters have attempted to manipulate her for their own ends. It never ends well for them.
124	* EvilMentor: To several characters, such as Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain and even Batman himself (although in that case she was more helping him get his skills back rather than teaching him from the beginning).
125	* FadSuper: She was created to cash in on the 1970s Creator/BruceLee Kung-Fu craze. She debuted within the pages of ''Richard Dragon'', but her popularity outlasted that series. She's still a martial arts master, but no longer looks like a 1970s DragonLady.
126	* FairPlayVillain: As stated, what she really wants more than anything is a fair fight against someone on her level.
127	* FinishingMove: The Leopard Blow. What it is varies from time to time, but one of the most gruesome versions involves ramming two fingers into a weapon point through the eye sockets, killing the target in one hit. Another version is smashing the nose and forcing the small bones of the nose into the brain. When later writers realized that was a physical impossibility, it was changed to the former version.
128	* {{Flanderization}}: She was originally written as a wandering thrill-seeker, often tagging along with heroes as part of her own agenda. However, most modern depictions tend to draw from the one time she was hired to kill ComicBook/TheQuestion, and make her a straight-up ProfessionalKiller.
129	** Her skill level is also an example of this. Once upon a time, she wasn't any better than Turner and Dragon, and they weren't treated as being particularly special fighters. After kicking Question's ass and then teaching him, she's been slowly exaggerated until she's now the deadliest fighter in the world by a huge margin, and her only competition is her own daughter.
130	%%* ForbiddenTechnique: The Leopard Blow.
131	* FriendlyEnemy:
132	** Somewhat to Richard Dragon.
133	** But very much this toward Black Canary...and Shiva ''doesn't'' like it, because Black Canary is trying to use it to reform her.
134	* TheGift: Her ability of CombatClairvoyance. Only she, her sister, and Cassandra are known to possess it. Its actual nature is unclear, since Cassandra is known not to have a meta-gene.
135	* GlowingEyes: The New 52 version of Shiva has eyes that occasionally flash green. It's not yet been revealed why, and likely never will be, due to that incarnation of the character being HandWaved away in Rebirth.
136	* AGodAmI:
137	** Not by Shiva herself, but there's a cult that worships her as a goddess. She finds them sometimes quaint, sometimes annoying, and often useful as CannonFodder.
138	** In ComicBook/TheQuestion #27, Charlie literally prays to her for help on the streets of Hub City. ''And it works''.
139	* TheGreatestStyle: She uses an unnamed martial art that takes full advantage of her natural gift in CombatClairvoyance to push her speed and reactions to borderline superhuman levels. She can also fight without it, but why would she?
140	* HatesBeingTouched: In the first issue of ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'', a {{Mook}} tries making the moves on ComicBook/LadyShiva and she applies some specific force to his wrist. After he finishes yowling in pain, Shiva gives a most explicit warning:
141	-->"If you touch me again, I shall shatter three bones in your arm: the Humerus, the Radius and the Ulna. I shall shatter them in such a way that shards will protrude into the nerves causing intense pain. I shall shatter them in such a way that no western doctor will be able to repair them. Your arm will thereafter dangle from your shoulder like a dead fish. Do you understand?"
142	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: She may try her hand at heroism now and then, but her BloodKnight tendencies usually call her back to the dark side. In fact, they're usually what motivated her to start working with the heroes to begin with.
143	* HeroKiller: When she shows up, people die. She's personally killed The Question, Batgirl, and Richard Dragon, not to mention countless masters of martial arts. Of course, this being comic books, the people she kills rarely stay dead, and she even resurrects some of them herself.
144	* HonorAmongThieves: She rarely tolerates anyone breaking it.
145	* HumanoidAbomination: At her most powerful and inhuman she most definitely comes across as this. This quote in particular:
146	-->'''Shiva, to [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Vic Sage]]''': [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Do not torment yourself trying to understand me.]] [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Your mind is not ready to understand me.]] It may never be ready to understand me. Content yourself with this: I am outside.
147	* IceCreamKoan: She is [[DependingOnTheWriter often portrayed]] as a [[BlueAndOrangeMorality mysterious, inscrutable character]] who offers the heroes whom she's working with "advice" which makes no sense to them. This was often used to illustrate her "exotic Asian wisdom", but has become more downplayed in later appearances, as her YellowPeril aspects have fallen out of fashion.
148	* InLoveWithYourCarnage:
149	** David Cain, towards her.
150	** She has a (probably) platonic version towards Richard Dragon. She admits that she helps him because of his tendency towards violence.
151	* InconsistentSpelling: Writers tend to forget whether her last name is spelled Woo-san, Woosan, Wu-San or Wusan. Probably because very few people think of her as Sandra Woo-san/Wusan, knowing her only as Shiva, and as a result, issues in which her given name is even mentioned are few and far between.
152	* InvincibleVillain: Within the BadassNormal milieu of the DC Universe, there is only a ''very'' rare selection of characters that can defeat her. For most others, Lady Shiva is an undefeatable antagonist that is more like a puzzle to solve or a force of nature to survive. In such cases, the challenge is not whether or not the hero will defeat her (usually, they won't) but whether they can avoid her long enough to complete their mission or find a way ToWinWithoutFighting. The most common way around this is to either appeal to her sense of {{fair play\|villain}} or promise to face her in a DuelToTheDeath in a year or so.
153	* ItOnlyWorksOnce: If you use a move she's never seen before, you better hope it takes her out, because that's the only chance you're getting.
154	* ItsPersonal: Do not harm her sensei or her students. The latter is her job.
155	* KillingIntent: Several characters ''feel'' her presence before they see her, usually as a sudden chill in the air.
156	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: For all of her ability, she is, at the end of the day, just an ordinary human functioning at her absolute peak. As such, she knows full well that no matter how good a fighter she may be, she has absolutely no chance against the vast majority of superpowered individuals in a straight fight. The woman may live for nothing but fighting and has made it clear that she wants to die in mortal combat, but she's going to back down from a fight with the average person with superpowers because she's neither stupid nor suicidal.
157	* LadyOfWar: Her fighting style is a masterpiece of elegance with no wasted motion whatsoever.
158	* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: While Shiva is definitely a CombatPragmatist that believes in using everything at one's disposal to achieve victory, when she ''does'' agree to specific rules or conditions, she will stick to her word. She wants the better fighter to win, which means allowing her opponent to play to certain strengths. This has bitten her in the butt a few times, because said opponents often aren't interested in such a contest and will cheat to avoid it.
159	* LukeIAmYourFather: She's Cassandra Cain's biological mother.
160	* NavelDeepNeckline: The outfit she was introduced in on ''Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter'' bore this.
161	* ManipulativeBastard: Let's see:
162	** Attempted to trick Batman into killing someone by secretly teaching him a fatal attack, then killing the master of a ninja clan and framing Batman for it. Batman caught wise and used a non-fatal version instead, [[OutGambitted but not to Shiva's knowledge]].
163	** Attempted to corrupt Richard Dragon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, and Black Canary on several occasions.
164	** Likes to trick martial arts masters into teaching her what they know, killing them after [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they've fulfilled her wishes]]. Though she at least gives them a fair fight.
165	* MartialMedic: She's brought people BackFromTheDead ''by punching them in the chest''.
166	* MeaningfulName: Shiva, as in both destroyer and creator; she's killed hundreds of people with her bare hands, but almost all the superheroes she's trained or mentored actually got good enough to neutralize her. Tim Drake became a competent fighter, but more importantly a CombatPragmatist. Batman got a HesBack moment from her training, and remains one of the few people she respects on a professional warrior level. Black Canary TookALevelInBadass under her, which combines with her meta human powers for a powerful package.
167	** Her daughter emphasizes this even more. Shiva approves of Cassandra's aversiveness to killing (most of the time) and she had Cassandra as much to have someone [[DeathSeeker who would stop her rampage]] as much as anything else. And she personally retrains her to ensure Cassandra remains in fighting form.
168	* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow:
169	** Inverted with her partnership and rivalry with Richard Dragon, where he was the calm, zen teacher and she was the HotBlooded BloodKnight.
170	** Post-Crisis Her entire villainous career was essentially caused by David Cain, and she later had a child with him as "thanks".
171	* MistakenForSuperpowered: Lady Shiva is a legendary martial artist (and biological mother of Cassandra Cain). She has an instinctive ability to read other peoples' body language, can copy any technique she sees even once, and possesses several other gifts and abilities that are incomprehensible to other people. She has ''multiple'' cults dedicated to [[LikeAGodToMe worshipping her as a goddess]].
172	* MoralityPet:
173	** ComicBook/BlackCanary [[InvokedTrope deliberately tries]] to be one for her in ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey''. Shiva allows it [[InvertedTrope because she wants to break Dinah of that habit.]]
174	** Her godfather, the O-Sensei, was an actual one for her, and she expended quite a bit of effort (and showed far more than her usual restraint) bringing him home when he was dying.
175	* MsFanservice:
176	** Especially in ''Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter''.
177	** In the {{Novelization}} of ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', Bruce tells a naked Shiva she's probably the sexiest woman alive, but [[NotDistractedByTheSexy he has no interest in having his limbs snapped and just wants to train with her]].
178	* MuggingTheMonster: Done to her by Bikers. Ended about as well as one could expect.
179	* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: It's so good, other characters go to her to enact this trope.
180	* NobleDemon: She has a personal code of honor and a warped sense of loyalty. Good luck trying to predict what situations that code applies to, though.
181	* OddFriendship: With Black Canary to some extent. "Friends" may be pushing it a little far, but they are amicable acquaintances with a shared history and civil interactions. They have, on occasion, gone for drinks together, trained together and worked together. However, they also remain potentially mortal enemies from diametrically opposite sides of the good/evil divide.
182	* OldMaster: Her godfather, "O-Sensei".
183	* OlderThanTheyLook: The New 52 version of Shiva is implied to be this, as Nightwing notes she still looks rather young even though they encountered each other years earlier and she was a master martial artist even then.
184	* OneWomanArmy: To the point where people started [[CargoCult worshiping her as an avatar of Shiva]] the destroyer. She couldn't care less.
185	* PragmaticVillainy: She's considered the world's greatest martial artist but for the most part sticks to fighting BadassNormal characters rather than the superpowered community at large. And in those rare moments she does take on superhuman foes, they're typically the lower tier superhumans that Batman can defeat in any random one-on-one encounter, such as that time she crushed Killer Croc and left his arm and leg in casts.
186	* PregnantBadass: She was still capable of [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] David (a world-class martial artist), even while ''heavily'' pregnant. Ironically, it was his kid she was pregnant with. Probably what helped make her daughter so badass.
187	* ProfessionalKiller: Her day job. She doesn't really care about it, though. It's just good for thrills, and for finding good opponents by luring heroes to protect her targets.
188	* PungeonMaster: [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, really.]] In her earliest appearances in ''[[ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter]]'', she is constantly making puns, to Dragon's chagrin.
189	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: Sandra's chosen name of Shiva is the name of one of the principal deities of Hinduism.
190	* {{Retcon}}:
191	** In her original appearances, she was a martial artist and thrill seeker who first appeared when she fought Richard Dragon to avenge her sister (Richard was framed for her death) with mere hints of her connection to the League Of Assassins, which would have pre-dated her sister's demise. ComicBook/PostCrisis, this was changed by saying that David Cain, a member of ComicBook/RasAlGhul's League Of Assassins, killed her sister and recruited her into the League.
192	** In the ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'' storyline, Shiva was one of the possible candidates for [[ComicBook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws Jason Todd's]] real mother, him having found her name in an address book of his fathers'. When they subdued her, they asked her if she had ever born children. Amused, Shiva sarcastically told them that she had dropped litters all over the globe, but a shot of a truth serum made her say that she hadn't. This was changed with the reveal that she was Cassandra Cain's mother, since Cass is about the same age as Jason. However, since it was a fairly minor moment, it's just as likely that this was a simple continuity mistake instead of an intentional retcon. Of course, given the kind of insane stunts that she and her daughter have done, it's entirely possible that the truth serum [[ILied didn't work]] [[NoSell on her]].
193	* {{Revision}}: In addition to the few straight-up retcons she's received, Shiva's backstory has received a few tweaks to clarify or add connective tissue.
194	** When first appearing in ''Richard Dragon'', she was a relatively novice martial artist with great inherent skill. This was later altered to explain that Shiva (aka Sandra) had been training alongside her sister Carolyn for years, but neither took it very seriously out of fear of hurting the other. Cain killing Carolyn freed her from that restraint.
195	** Shiva turning from adventurer to murderous BloodKnight mercenary is explained by Richard and Ben choosing to stop adventuring, leaving the thrill-seeking Shiva to her own devices. She took up contract killing as a means of honing her skills and staving off boredom, and quickly grew addicted to the lifestyle.
196	** Shiva's reputation as the best martial artist was cemented by her repeated and brutal victories against other skilled masters, usually with witnesses to tell the tale and increase her legend. While roughly on par with the likes of Dragon, Turner and Batman at one time, her skills have grown to the point that none of them are certain if they can take her.
197	* TheRival: Several.
198	** Her big one is Richard Dragon.
199	** She also considered Black Canary to be one, although they do have FriendlyRivalry with each other to an extent.
200	** Cassandra Cain is the person she most wants to succeed her, as she's her daughter.
201	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: She started as an enemy/ally of Richard Dragon, before moving to the Question, Batman and eventually her own daughter, Cassandra Cain. As one of the DCU's best martial artists, she often appears in other titles in a similar capacity.
202	* ShroudedInMyth: To the point where being killed by her is considered to be an incredible honor in many countries.
203	* StalkerWithATestTube: David was this for her. Eventually, she gave him what he wanted, and thus came Cassandra.
204	* StartOfDarkness:
205	** Pre-Crisis, it started when she learned martial arts strictly to kill Richard, became friends with him, and then became [[InHarmsWay addicted to danger]] after they began traveling.
206	** Post-Crisis, it began when David killed her twin sister.
207	* StockingFiller: As the Jade Canary, she even gets to wear Black Canary's fishnet stockings [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl much to Shiva's dismay]].
208	* StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred: What she tries to get her {{Worthy Opponent}}s to do, so that they will adopt her philosophy and succeed her.
209	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: An interesting Inversion of this trope is usually in play with Lady Shiva, in that she goes out of her way to avoid getting involved with heroes that hold [[SuperPowerLottery serious levels of power]]. She even goes so far as to try to avoid anything involving serious power being thrown around where the participants are straight up PhysicalGods. In spite of Shiva's great skills and fighting ability, she fully acknowledges that she's just a Muggle in a world full of beings with power that defy logic and reason. It's telling that most of the comics she appears in are the ones with {{Badass Normal}}s or superpowers that only give their users a ''slight'' edge over normal people.
210	* ThatManIsDead: She hasn't gone by the name "Sandra Woo-san" in ''decades''.
211	* TheyWereHoldingYouBack: The reason David killed her sister. The two of them were both good fighters, but Shiva needed the extra push to become great.
212	* ThouShaltNotKill: When working with heroes, they insist she not kill anyone. This often annoys her, but she complies... usually.
213	* TookALevelInBadass: Back in the 70s and 80s, she was a skilled martial artist on-par with Ben Turner and Richard Dragon, but wasn't remarked as being any more special than any other martial artist hero in the DCU, and her and Batman were much closer in skill level. Then they began billing her as the ''best'' martial artist in the DCU, and is set up as clearly well above Batman's level. This ''would'' just be a retcon, but it's justified in-universe by the fact Shiva is ''constantly'' improving her skills and absorbing more techniques, so it's less that they pretend she was always unstoppable, but more that she ''became'' unstoppable over time.
214	* TrainingFromHell:
215	** She puts herself through this and others come to her to get it. Its implied that the name Lady Shiva is a title and that others are going through the same training to become the next one.
216	** Playing into the more positive aspects of her name, Shiva has also trained an awful lot of heroes, including Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne, and her code of honor has led her to even spare them if she feels they can be a better fight later. She even resuscitated Cass Cain after beating her to death in order to gain a proper rematch!
217	* TheUnfettered: Shiva believes in letting others do as they wish, just as she does. Sometimes, of course, she wants to kill someone and they want to live. "This gives life interest."
218	* VillainousCheekbones: One of her most consistent physical traits.
219	* VillainRespect:
220	** Naturally, Shiva loves skilled martial artists. If someone genuinely looks promising, she will applaud their ability and even offer to train them to overcome the flaws in their technique. But her ultimate goal is to fight a DuelToTheDeath; if she ''does'' find you to be a WorthyOpponent, she will force you to do so...one way or another.
221	** Even if someone isn't a skilled fighter, they can still earn her immense respect. She admires skill in any craft, courage, wisdom, and determination. For example, when Huntress challenged her in Black Canary's stead, Shiva nicknamed her Iron Owl because it took massive guts to risk her life in such a lopsided battle.
222	* VillainTakesAnInterest: Constantly. There are several heroes who strike her fancy as {{Worthy Opponent}}s, and she'll alternate between [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor helping or hindering them]] for [[BlueAndOrangeMorality reasons that only she can make sense of]]. When she shows up in your life, things are about to get interesting, whether you want them to or not.
223	* WillfullyWeak:
224	** When she and Carolyn sparred, Sandra held back out of fear of hurting her. David noticed this and saw how much potential Sandra had, so he [[TheyWereHoldingYouBack killed Carolyn so that Shiva would realize her full strength]].
225	** Not much of a weakness, considering how good she is anyway... But, she did tell Canary she never uses Sensei Otomo's techniques when she's trying to kill, out of respect for his teachings.
226	** Despite being possibly the greatest hand-to-hand fighter on the planet, her specialty is actually in bladed weapons. She simply finds it more interesting to handicap herself by using only her bare hands.
227	* WorldsBestWarrior: In terms of pure skill, she is practically unmatched in the Franchise/DCUniverse. In a fair duel, Shiva can defeat anyone, with only her {{Rival}} Richard Dragon and [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} her own daughter]] demonstrating any actual potential to defeat her, though Batman, Bronze Tiger, Black Canary, and ''maybe'' Conner Hawke and/or Catman are all capable of fighting on par with her (though even they will all shy away from such a prospect unless absolutely necessary). However, seeing as she lives in the DC Universe, she doesn't stand a chance against a SuperpowerLottery, and whenever a hero is forced to fight her, they typically use an OutsideTheBoxTactic to soften her up first or defeat her outright.
228	* TheWorfEffect: It does happen on occasion, but she often regains herself shortly afterwards. The only person who she did not overcome in the end so far was Prometheus.
229	* WorfHadTheFlu: ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' has her state that her previous defeats were intentional in order to appear weaker than she really was.
230	* WorthyOpponent: All she wants is to find one. In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' after ComicBook/{{Huntress}} fights her in place of ComicBook/BlackCanary (who is sporting a broken arm and thus guaranteed to die) as a distraction until they can locate Canary's adopted daughter Sin and stop the fight, Shiva is so impressed that she gives Helena the name Iron Owl. Here, she wasn't impressed by Helena's skill (which she admits isn't up to par with Shiva's) so much as the sheer guts it took to challenge her.
231	* YellowPeril: She was definitely created to invoke this trope, as well as the DragonLady. She was very much played up as a dangerous, exotic Asian fighter in the original ''Richard Dragon'' series, and those aspects were dialed up even further when she later appeared in ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'' and ''ComicBook/{{Robin\|1993}}'', where she was fond of using logic or making observations that made no sense, but she claimed were part of some greater "Eastern" wisdom that people of the western world would never understand. This has definitely been downplayed in more modern portrayals.
232	* YouKilledMyFather:
233	** She originally appeared chasing after Richard when he was framed for murdering her sister.
234	** In a ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' story, she mercilessly hunted down the person who killed one of her favorite senseis. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality She does imply, however, that had he not been deathly ill already, she planned to kill him herself at some point.]]

Context Characters / BatmanLadyShiva