I’ll be honest: It’s not often I see a female character in fantasy or science fiction that I truly love. One who is strong on her own merit, well-rounded, easy to identify with, and just basically badass, okay. But there are seven I’ve encountered (so far) that make my feminine-warrior heart happy.

This list is in no particular order, and entirely subjective. You’ve been forewarned.

1. Ripley

• Hailing from: The Alien franchise
• Medium: Feature films
• Genre: Science fiction
• Special skills: Not panicking, sticking to her values, shooting scary aliens

It’s hard to make a list like this without including Ripley. She was one of the first “strong female characters” cinema gave us, at least as far as sci-fi goes. But what I most appreciate about her is the fact that she isn’t just a tough, capable survivor (and alien-killer), but also a well-rounded character with weaknesses and soft spots. She gets scared. She makes mistakes. As a result, it’s easy to relate to and root for her.

2. Zoe Washburne

• Hailing from: The Firefly series + Serenity
• Medium: TV + feature film
• Genre: Science fiction/western
• Special skills: Taking charge and staying calm, fighting like a boss

I love how Zoe has the practicality and focus of a soldier, even in extremely intense, emotionally-charged moments (e.g., breaking into a highly-guarded spaceship to rescue her husband from torture). I also appreciate her relationship with her husband. It’s a sweet, nuanced, egalitarian, healthy marriage, something we don’t see often on the screen, particularly in speculative fiction.

3. Kady Grant

• Hailing from: Illuminae
• Medium: Novel
• Genre: YA science fiction
• Special skills: Computer hacking, nonviolent heroism, wit

I appreciate that Kady, unlike many of the heroines on this list, is opposed to violence. She’s even repulsed by it. But she never has to fight to save the day in Illuminae. She’s tough, resourceful, and tenacious, and that’s more than enough. Her character just goes to show that being a warrior is not, by any stretch, the only way to be a hero.

At the beginning of the book, Kady is a little difficult to love; she seems hard and aloof. But as the story progresses, you see more of her compassion and pain, and – at least for me – she becomes very easy to identify with.

Also, I love the fact that (spoiler alert!) she heads off to save her boyfriend at one point. The reversal of typical gender roles was really refreshing, and it totally fit with the story and the characters.

4. Eowyn

• Hailing from: The Lord of the Rings
• Medium: Novels and movie adaptations
• Genre: Epic fantasy
• Special skills: Sword fighting, slaying villains “no man can kill”, rebelling against the patriarchy

I have a terrible confession to make: I haven’t read The Lord of the Rings books yet. I know, I know! I’m planning to! But as a result, my impressions of Eowyn are only from the movies.

Since The Lord of the Rings is overwhelmingly male-dominated and patriarchal, the side-character of Eowyn truly stands out as a fascinating heroine. She seems to get the best of both worlds, as far as femininity goes: she is a king’s daughter who gets to wear gorgeous, flowing dresses… that is, until she dresses up like a man (against her brother’s wishes) and rides off to war.

Not only is she brave, independent, and skilled with a sword, but (spoiler alert!) she manages to slay an enemy that “no man can kill”… because surprise! She’s not a man!

Take that, patriarchy.

5. Celaena Sardothien

• Hailing from: The Throne of Glass series
• Medium: Novels
• Genre: YA epic fantasy
• Special skills: Sword fighting, asSASSination, annoying people

Celaena is actually a little… controversial. She’s one of those characters that you either love or hate. I happen to be one of the readers who loves her.

She really stood out to me when I read the early Throne of Glass books because… I had just never seen a character who was brash, strong, overly confident, and female. The kind of characters who walk into a room with power, who are legendary in their fighting prowess, who face enemies with little fear – these characters are nearly always male. My mind had never even imagined this kind of role for women until it was introduced to Celaena.

And Celaena isn’t just female; she’s also feminine and even girly. She’s passionate about dresses, and shamelessly vain. Her character shows that strength and femininity are not mutually exclusive. Though her personality can be annoying sometimes, it’s still refreshing to see a tough warrior who is also excited about dresses and melts for macho, muscled men.

6. Jessica Jones

• Hailing from: Jessica Jones
• Medium: Comic series and T.V. adaptation
• Genre: Superhero/crime
• Special skills: Investigation prowess, resourcefulness, and oh yeah, a bit of superhuman strength and high-jumping abilities

Another confession: I haven’t read the comic series, so I am, again, just going off the T.V. adaptation.

I’ll admit, both superheroes and T.V. series aren’t usually my thing. I watch Marvel movies, but I’m not usually a fan. The Jessica Jones show, however, is a different experience. It’s dark, gritty, and raw. And Jessica herself is a unique character.

She’s not really a role model. In fact, she’s more of an antihero. She’s blunt, foul-mouthed, and an alcoholic. But I like her because she feels so real. She doesn’t draw attention to herself, and doesn’t claim a special crimefighting name or costume. She’s a trauma survivor. She’s not particularly feminine. And she saves the day because she has to, not because she’s inclined to heroism.

More than anything, I love that her main strengths are in her character – stubbornness, fearlessness, resilience, resourcefulness – and the fact that she has superhuman abilities are just an added bonus.

7. Furiosa

• Hailing from: Mad Max: Fury Road
• Medium: Feature film
• Genre: Post apocalyptic action
• Special skills: Runaway driving across the desert, fist-fighting with a bionic arm, betraying bad guys

First of all, almost any action heroine played by Charlize Theron is guaranteed to be awesome, because she is awesome. In fact, she’s my favorite action-movie-star in Hollywood. It was her portrayal of this character, though, that first made me love her.

The setup of the movie is rather disturbing: In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, women are basically treated like objects – either vessels for reproduction, or milk makers. But then there’s Furiosa. Unlike the other women, she has a shaved head, mad truck-driving skills (over loose desert sand, no less), and high ranking among a wicked warlord’s forces.

Oh, and did I mention? She has a bionic arm, which does not in any way prevent her from being an intimidating fighter. Naturally, she turns on her evil boss and rescues several of his concubines, escaping across the desert while his band chases her.

Technically, Max – another escapee – is supposed to be the main character of the film. But Furiosa so outshines him, it’s pretty clear to anyone watching that she’s the real hero of the story.

Who are some of your favorite female characters in speculative fiction?