Top 10 Most Badass Female Disney Characters

Disney has given us some of the most fearless, strong-willed, and all-around incredible female characters. These women prove time and again that being tough isn't just about physical strength. It's about standing up for what's right, pushing past obstacles, and refusing to let anyone define their worth. Some fight with swords, some use their wits, and some break barriers just by being themselves.

This list is all about celebrating the female Disney characters who bring courage, intelligence, and determination to the screen. Some are warriors, some are spies, and some are superheroes, but all of them know how to take charge when it matters most. They inspire, they lead, and they remind us that bravery comes in many forms.
The Top Ten
Mulan (Mulan) Fa Mulan, a character inspired by an actual historic figure is a character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 36th animated feature film Mulan, as well as its sequel Mulan II.

If you think Ariel is better than Mulan, hand over your Disney fan club membership card so I can rip it to shreds. Mulan is the kind of character that all girls should aspire to be like! She proves that being a girl isn't just about being pretty. They can be both pretty and tough. Mulan proves this by saving all of China. She does the right thing by going to war in her dad's place so he won't get hurt and so the country will be saved.

She doesn't do anything selfish. She struggles at first but then shows everyone what she is capable of. She is very tough, an absolute inspiration. And yet, people prefer Ariel just because she's pretty and a good singer. Literally the only reasons I've heard from people who like her. Mulan is also those things, but she does what she knows is right. Family comes first. Mulan inspires people to bring honor to their family, while Ariel inspires people to ditch their family and explore a different world for their own selfish reasons, potentially putting the lives of others at risk.

Kim Possible (Kim Possible) Kimberly Ann "Kim" Possible is a fictional character who appears in the animated television series Kim Possible, voiced by American actress Christy Carlson Romano.

Let's face it. Everyone only watched this show because of how attractive Kim is. After it was announced that it's getting a live-action movie, I've been binge-watching the entire series since it's been years since I've watched it. I forgot how great it was. The best part about it would have to be the main character herself, Kim Possible. She is so hot! Not only that, but she is just an overall cool character.

Whenever she goes on a mission, she always knows what to do in certain situations because she can do anything. The villains she faces don't stand a chance against her. Despite being an agent, she also has to deal with real-life situations, like school. She's basically a female version of Spider-Man, except she doesn't keep her identity a secret. The fact that she's able to do this shows how amazing she is. This honestly makes me nervous for the live-action movie, especially since it will be a Disney Channel Original Movie. That just makes things worse.

Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

A couple of days ago on Twitter, The Incredibles composer Michael Giacchino posted a video of the music for Incredibles 2 being recorded. That got me even more hyped! I'm so excited for the sequel, especially since we get to see more of Helen Parr, aka Mrs. Incredible, aka Elastigirl. If you saw the first Incredibles movie, you saw how amazing she was. One of my favorite scenes is when she knocks out all of those guards. That was the moment I fell in love with the character. It's amazing how she's still able to do stuff like that despite having been a retired superhero for 15 years. She's able to fight crime and still takes good care of her family. Bob is a lucky guy! From what I've heard, the sequel will focus more on Elastigirl. That will be very interesting to see.

Elsa (Frozen) Queen Elsa of Arendelle is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 53rd animated film Frozen.

Only nine more months until I see Wicked! I'm so excited! Speaking of Broadway musicals, Frozen is now a Broadway musical, and I will definitely be seeing that when it starts touring. Anyway, Elsa is a girl with ice powers - doesn't get any more badass than that. With her ice powers, she can do a lot of awesome things. She can even create living things. She created Olaf as well as Marshmallow, the snow monster. When the guards go after Elsa, she uses her powers to defend herself. This is my favorite scene in the movie. Elsa is indeed a great character. People seem to hate on her for no reason.

Merida (Brave) Princess Merida is a fictional character from Pixar's first ever Disney Princess film, Brave. She is a talented archer who wishes that she were not destined to become the Elegant Queen of Dun Broch. She is forced into a marriage betrothal by her mother, with whom she has a very negative relationship... read more

Brave gets a lot more hate than it deserves. It's a pretty decent Pixar film. Merida is honestly a great and heroic character. She can do a lot of things: she is a master at archery, she can ride a horse, and she is a great sword fighter. What's not to love about her? I'm sure she taught herself some of these things, which is pretty impressive. She even stands up for herself when she doesn't agree with her mother about getting with a guy she doesn't know. This isn't the last time we'll be seeing Merida. We shall be seeing her again in November.

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) Maleficent is the main antagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty. An evil fairy, Maleficent is an incarnation of pure evil, and is responsible for all misfortune in King Stefan's kingdom.

When people talk about awesome Disney villains, Maleficent is the one who's brought up the most. She's definitely the definition of evil. She does really mean things when she doesn't get her way. She even went as far as putting a curse on Aurora. The best part about her is that she can turn into a dragon. It doesn't get any better than that. What happened to villains like this? We don't get villains as awesome as her anymore. Now it's all about surprising people with some kind of plot twist where a character we thought was a good guy turns out to be the bad guy. I'm really tired of that trope. It even bothered me in Coco. I really want to see another great villain like Maleficent.

Rapunzel (Tangled) Rapunzel is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 50th animated feature film Tangled, and its short sequel Tangled Ever After. She is the tenth Disney Princess, the first Disney Princess to be CGI-animated, and the first Disney Princess to have freckles or green eyes.

If you think about it, Rapunzel is kind of a Mary Sue. She spent 16 years of her life trapped inside her tower. Then, when she finally leaves, she learns things pretty quickly. How did she learn to swim? This also bothers me in the series. Eugene has been out in the real world longer than Rapunzel has, yet she's able to do certain things better than he can. Still, she's pretty awesome. She is a master at using her hair and is unstoppable with her best weapon - the frying pan. She's more skilled with a frying pan than Princess Peach is. She's basically a much better character than Peach. At least she doesn't always act as the damsel in distress. She actually acts as the hero quite a lot. The Season 1 finale of Tangled: The Series pretty much proves it. I can't wait for Season 2.

Moana (Moana) Moana is the protagonist of Disney's 2016 animated feature film of the same name. Born on the island village of Motunui, Moana is the daughter of Chief Tui and Sina, with an inherited love for the seas and voyaging. When her island becomes endangered, Moana is chosen by the ocean to journey across the... read more

Remember when Auli'i Cravalho got hit in the head during her performance of How Far I'll Go at the Oscars? Good times. Moana is pretty much every Disney princess put into one character. However, the thing that makes her different from every other Disney princess is that she has no love interest. She doesn't need a man to save her. Moana does most of the work in this movie, while Maui helps out a little. Keep in mind that Moana is a normal teenage girl, whereas Maui is a thousand-year-old demigod. What's even more impressive is that she's never been off the island before. She's a very inspiring character - and a very awesome one. I also like how aggressive she can be at times.

Nala (The Lion King) Nala is a fictional character who appears in Disney's The Lion King franchise and is introduced in the animated film The Lion King in 1994.
Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Esméralda, born Agnès, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

Esmeralda is awesome. She stands up for people when no one else does. She is clever, a great dancer, and I love it when she spits in Frollo's face.

The Newcomers

? Roxanne (A Goofy Movie)
? Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia) Anne Boonchuy (Thai: แอนน์ สาวิสา บุญช่วย) is a fictional Thai-American Female character who serves as the main protagonist of the Disney Channel animated series Amphibia. She is voice by Brenda Song.
The Contenders
Megara (Hercules) Meg is a heroine from the Disney movie Hercules. Meg is the love interest for, the protagonist, Hercules. Meg sold her soul to Hades for her boyfriend's freedom. However, the (soon to be ex) boyfriend ended up cheating on her. Meg is scared of getting hurt again. However, once she sees how genuine Hercules's... read more
Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean) Elizabeth Swann, played by Kiera Knightley, is the female protagonist of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films.

With the overwhelming success of the Pirates series of movies - and given that I see we are not solely sticking with animated characters - the fact that she ended up being the Pirate King lets everyone know that Elizabeth Swann is a bit of a badass.

Judy Hopps (Zootopia) Officer Judy Hopps is the protagonist in Disney's 2016 animated feature film Zootopia. The first rabbit to be in Zootopia's police force, Judy is determined to make the world a better place while breaking preconceptions about other species. Teaming up with a fox named Nick Wilde, she sets off on her... read more
Cassandra (Tangled: The Series)
Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) Princess Tiana of Maldonia is a fictional main character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 49th animated feature film The Princess and the Frog.

She's one of my favorite princesses. She had to work really hard and have a lot of determination to get what she wanted. Her life was difficult, and I love the message she gives to little girls: that to pursue your dreams, you have to work hard for them.

Alice (Alice in Wonderland) Alice is a fictional character and protagonist of Lewis Carroll's children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass.
Vitani (The Lion King) Vitani is a female lion from Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. She was initially a secondary antagonist in the movie. Vitani is the daughter and middle child of Zira, the older sister of Kovu, and the younger sister of Nuka... read more

I love Vitani! She's awesome. She needs more love, and she's 100 times better than Kiara!

Jasmine (Aladdin) She is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 31st animated feature film Aladdin (1992).
Ariel (The Little Mermaid) Princess Ariel is a fictional character and the title character of Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated film The Little Mermaid.

Although a bit more traditional than the others on here, she chose doing what was right over obeying her father and his unjust rules, and I admire that.

I see where Triton is coming from in wanting to protect her from humans, but his fear is born of bigotry. Ariel saw his prejudice against humanity and rejected it from the very start. That's badass, and she didn't give up her voice to Ursula because she was mooning over Eric. Ursula took advantage of her because she was at her weakest. She already felt alone and like an outcast. Triton refused to accept her at first, until Ariel fell into the clutches of the sea witch.

Ursula lied, saying Ariel should listen to her over Triton because he refused to accept her and destroyed her collection, a part of her. Having no one else to turn to and feeling like she had nothing to lose due to metaphorically having no voice under the sea to begin with, she was sad and vulnerable and signed away her voice. None of us make good choices when depressed, and the movie treats her deal as a bad thing.

In my opinion, she's the underdog activist, and as long as she's on this list, she could be in 50th place for all I care. She's still my number one empowering woman. Triton changed his views because of Ariel's ability to see the good in everyone. Eric, a human she fell in love with, saved his life, and in doing so, Triton saw what Ariel saw in Eric and accepted her. Ariel united two worlds by standing up to prejudice and bigotry! She's my hero!

Gogo (Big Hero 6)
Pocahontas (Pocahontas) Pocahontas is a title character in Disney's 33rd animated feature film Pocahontas, and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
Tinker Bell (Peter Pan) Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy.
Alice Kingsleigh (Alice in Wonderland) Alice Kingsleigh is a character in Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass. She is a curious and imaginative young woman, who cannot conform to the values of the society in which she lives.

She actually chopped off a dragon's head. What a woman.

Violet Parr (The Incredibles) Violet Parr is a fictional character from The Incredibles and Incredibles 2. The movies follow her and her family as superheros, living in a world where superheros are known as destructive and must abide only by their secret identities. Violet has the power of invisibility (reflecting her quiet personality)... read more
Star Butterfly (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
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