20. Wendy Darling, Peter Pan
Wendy was the least badass of all the Disney gals. She almost gets captured multiple times by the main villain, can't fight off mermaids, and manages to get all of the children captured, all because she wanted to go home. We'll chalk it up to her young age, but the bottom line is that she wasn't badass in comparison to the other ladies.
19. Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
Aurora acted more like a plot device than an actual character in her movie, and she only had about 18 lines in the whole film (it's true, look it up). It's not really her fault she made the curse come true, but she also doesn't do anything besides pick berries and sleep.
18. Tinkerbell, Peter Pan
Tinkerbell would be the lowest, but she does have some sass and magic that earn her a higher spot on this list. She lets her jealousy get the best of her most of the time, so she attacked Wendy and almost got Peter and the Lost Boys killed more than once.
17. Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White gets points for surviving in the wilderness (even if it was only for a few minutes) and actually doing something with her life (even if it was only domestic chores). Snow White really wasn't badass at all, though, and, girl, WHY'D YOU EAT AN APPLE FROM A WEIRD OLD LADY????
16. Ariel, The Little Mermaid
As much as we might love Ariel, she isn't really a badass. She spends most of her time collecting trinkets and defying her father, loses her voice, and puts the lives of the people she loves in danger.
15. Cinderella, Cinderella
Cinderella doesn't do anything ~that~ badass, but she does survive years of abuse, which definitely earns her points. She took care of an entire household's worth of chores all while dealing with the verbal and borderline physical abuse from her step-family.
14. Jasmine, Aladdin
In Jasmine's defense, she probably would've done way more kick-ass stuff had she had more screen time. She had a pet tiger, broke out of a palace, didn't put up with any patriarchal nonsense, and is definitely one of the most badass Disney Princesses.
13. Rapunzel, Tangled
Rapunzel had magical healing hair, but she was also pretty badass without it. She managed to subdue Flynn with just a frying pan and made it cross country, all while being hunted. She might not be the *most* badass, but she's still pretty great.
12. Belle, Beauty and the Beast
Belle openly defied the patriarchal oppression of her time by flaunting her love and skill of reading. She also repeatedly rejected Gaston, despite his constant and threatening pursuit. Not to mention she sacrificed herself for a life of imprisonment with a beast — all to save her father's life.
11. Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Esmeralda was a badass gypsy that refused to not be herself, despite the constant threat of imprisonment — and death. Not only did she save Quasimodo, but she also looked past physical appearances and helped Quasimodo love himself and see his true beauty.
10. Nala, The Lion King
As a child, Nala goes with Simba to the shadowlands and the elephant graveyard. When she's older, she also proves to be a badass by helping Simba fight Scar and return the Pride Lands back to normal. She's also badass enough to beat Simba in a fight, btw.
9. Pocahontas, Pocahontas
Pocahontas is not only a badass cliff diver, but she also manages to stop a war and secure peace between her tribe and the English.
8. Jane, Tarzan
Jane started off being a proper English lady who seemed just out of place in the jungle. She quickly adapted, though, and was soon speaking gorilla and swinging through the forest on vines. Not to mention she was highly educated and managed to teach Tarzan an entire language in basically a week.
7. Tiana, The Princess and the Frog
Tiana's nonstop work ethic makes her one of the most badass on this list. She stops at nothing to achieve her dream, and never takes the easy way to make it come true. She was even willing to stay a frog and give up her dream rather than give into voodoo magic.
6. Elsa, Frozen
Elsa's pretty badass — I mean, she had ice powers that were so strong, she managed to turn an entire city into ice, not to mention building a whole ice castle in a matter of minutes. What really makes her badass, though, was her ability to learn to love herself and to recognize that love is stronger than fear.
5. Anna, Frozen
Now Anna might not have the kickass powers her sister does, but she's way more badass in my book. She loves her sister, despite years of emotional distance, and the fact that her sister plunged the kingdom into an eternal winter. Anna sets out alone to rescue her sister, and ultimately sacrifices herself to save her. Now that's some badass sisterly love right there.
4. Kida, Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Most people forget about Kida, BUT THEY SHOULDN'T: Kida is a badass warrior princess that saves all of Atlantis and all of her people, and turns into an even more badass warrior queen.
3. Megara "Meg", Hercules
As Meg would put it, she might be a damsel, and she might be in distress, but she's never a damsel in distress. She was badass enough to save two men she loved, and to defy Hades.
2. Merida, Brave
Merida was badass enough to defy age-old patriarchal rules by refusing to marry, and winning her own hand at marriage. She saves her mother from staying in bear form forever, accepts immense responsibility for her actions, unites warring clans, and is the best archer in her land.
1. And of course, Mulan from Mulan
How could Mulan not be the most badass Disney lady? She pretended to be a man to save her father, knowing she would be killed if she was found out. She saved her troop from an entire Hun army. I mean, Mulan saved all of China!
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