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Since we have got a thread for ethnic minorities and the gay community which I find personally intriguing reading their views and exploring their concerns, I thought you deserve as well your own thread. Feel free to be open about this subject and do not to be discouraged to express a view that may or may not be part of the populist agenda.

This is an open debate and mature conversation is advised and encouraged so in that sense others are free to take part as long as they maintain a respectable approach to the topic and of course to the opposite sex.

Respectable female protagonists, heroines and characters

Joanna Dark

Born with a spinal injury that left her unable to walk before the age of 5, Joanna Dark spent her life exceeding expectations and rising to the occasion. Even as a simple bounty hunter aiding her father Jack, Jo embodied professionalism and commitment to getting the job done, even when loved ones and friends were lost in the process.

Elena Fisher

We generally hold investigative journalists in high esteem regardless of their are of expertise, but it's Elena Fisher's skills off-camera that most impress us. Anyone who knows the Uncharted name immediately ties the title and no-hold-barred action to leading man Nathan Drake, but those who have played the games know that Elena is no damsel in distress or 'voice of an earpiece,' but a full-fledged counterpart to Drake's bravado and confidence.

Faith Connors

As part of the rebellion against a totalitarian regime taking over the City in which Mirror's Edge is based, we find ourselves rooting for Faith regardless of context. The fact that she practices her rebellion by acting as an illegal courier across rooftops where the police 'Blues' and City Eyes can't intercept her just makes her even more impressive.

Cate Archer

The quintessential counterpoint to James Bond's 007, cat burglar-turned-secret-agent Cate Archer is one of the most underrated leads in one of the most underrated modern shooters - the fact she's a woman is an afterthought.

Jade a.k.a. 'Shauni'

Jade's role in Beyond Good & Evil has been the subject of much criticism, naming her one of the most important female game characters ever, as much for what she is as what she is not. Created by Ubisoft's Michel Ancel to embody something relatable, not simply sex appeal, Ancel ultimately made a female protagonist who distinguishes herself by her choices, not her skills or appearance.

Liara T'Soni

Some people might settle for earning the title of the most learned and knowledgeable source of information concerning a now-extinct race of galactic engineers. Indeed, the world of gaming is full of such experts. But after Dr. Liara T'Soni stepped from her mother's shadow to do just that, and uncovered the secrets of Prothean extinction, she moved on.

Anya Stroud

From the very beginning of the Gears of War series, Anya Stroud distinguished herself as an intelligence officer unlike any other. Not just because she saw Marcus Fenix for who he was, not the traitor and deserter he was accused of being, but for her own dedication to the COG.

Alyx Vance

As a leading figure in the Resistance movement in City 17, anyone who isn't a Combine-sympathizer likely found Alyx Vance one of the highlights of Half-Life 2 and the following Episodes. Painstakingly designed by Valve and given a voice and writing that manged to be warm, trustworthy, but also confident and assertive, she was a success on all fronts.

Sarah Kerrigan

Sarah Kerrigan. A powerful telepath from an early age, Kerrigan was quickly trained to be one of the Terran Confederacy's 'ghosts'; soldiers with unmatched psionic abilities, entrusted with the most covert and pivotal operations.

Samus Aran

This is a no-brainer. She was the first, she was the best, and she still remains one of the most beloved characters Nintendo has in its stable. Granted we didn't actually know Samus Aran was a woman the first time we played through Metroid, but once we discovered it, we were never the same. Not only was the hero of the game a woman, but she was one of the deadliest people in the galaxy.

Ellen

After growing up in an orphanage, Ellen visits the remote Irish village of Doolin to discover something about her parents. What she gets instead is a slightly terrifying fantasy world full of a twisted version of Pokémon. Yet she takes it all in stride, and even puts those little monsters to work for her.

Rayne

Rayne is the definition of an anti-heroine; she's the protagonist of the Bloodrayne series, but she's not exactly a beacon of morality. She is a murderous vampire, after all. And though she's hyper-sexualized, what do you expect from the ultimate human predator?

Alicia Claus

Yeah, she's a witch. But she's a good witch, we swear! She uses her powers over nature to fight demons, and her massive gunrod is sexy and empowering. She's cute, too.

Jennifer Tate

We always appreciate when gender roles in video games are reversed, considering how ingrained the save-the-princess thing is in our culture. In Primal, Jennifer goes on a terrible journey to rescue her boyfriend. We hope our girlfriend would do the same.

Lilith

Lilith shares the Borderlands stage with tons of other protagonists, especially if you count the sequel, but her phasewalking ability is one of the most useful powers in the series. We love that she even got some lines and a fleshed-out story in Borderlands 2—all praise The Firehawk!

Madison Paige

Madison is one of four protagonists in Heavy Rain, but she might be the most compelling. Not least of which for the shower scene, which we obviously appreciated. But her influence on the story is invaluable, particularly in her presence making Ethan less of an apathetic dick.

Aya Brea

Aya is one of the most loved female characters of the PlayStation generation, and even her PSP adventure from 2010—The 3rd Birthday—was well-received. And that's saying a lot for a PSP game.

Shanoa

Shanoa is the leader of the DS Castlevania game's eponymous Order of Ecclesia, the group that steps up to defeat Dracula when the Belmonts are nowhere to be seen. And that's no easy task. It probably helps that certain story events have wiped away all her memories and emotions.

Yuna

Final Fantasy X was, at the time, the only game in the series to receive a direct sequel, in the form of Final Fantasy X-2. Some saw it as overkill, but we were okay with it, since it gave us another excuse to step into the supple boots of the capable summoner Yuna.

Nariko

We much prefer Nariko to developer Ninja Theory's later female heroine, Trip. Nariko is fighting for her life and her people in Heavenly Sword; Trip, meanwhile, literally slips a slave collar onto Enslaved's other protagonist, Monkey, while he's knocked out. Who does that?

Amaterasu

Amaterasu is pretty killer as a heroine. She wields the celestial brush to draw enemies in half and make the sun rise. That's the privilege of the sun goddess, after all. And she's an adorable white wolf. There's literally nothing we don't like about her.

Clementine

Clementine is the focus of plenty of rescues in Telltale's The Walking Dead game, but we'd argue that she's a heroine in her own right. She saves Lee's life in the very first episode, and she even becomes a right little badass once he teaches her how to wield a gun.

Tifa Lockhart

Tifa puts up with a lot in Final Fantasy VII, running the bar, hosting Avalanche meetings, helping take care of Marlene, and even taking care of Cloud when he's suffering his massive breakdown partway through. We're still not sure where she falls in terms of the whole Cloud/Zack thing, but suffice to say she's a trooper the whole time. And unlike Aeris, she doesn't get herself killed before the first disc's even over.

Lara Croft

Lara Croft may be the most iconic female character in gaming, but let's not forget that she was designed from the get-go to be little more than a male fantasy of a woman. A dual pistol-wielding, tiger-kicking male fantasy, but a jiggly male fantasy nonetheless. Whether Crystal Dynamics' new reboot of the character can alter that remains to be seen.

Cortana

Who hasn’t wished for its very own Cortana AI? Think about it, she’s super smart, gives the best advice, good with computers and totally loyal. She’s a friend till the end kind of girl, the only downside? She’s so smart she only lasts for about 7 years, she literally thinks herself out of commission. There was only room for one Artificial Intelligence in this list and Cortana made the cut, after all this hot piece of data proved crucial to the survival of mankind, can’t really imagine Master Chief saving the galaxy with GLADOS behind him can you?

Chun Li

Chun Li is one of the most popular female characters in all of gaming and for good reason, she’s a strong street fighter and undercover international cop in a quest to kick Bison to death and avenge her father’s death. Since her debut the fighting community has rightfully bestowed this Chinese beauty the honorable title of being the “First Lady of Gaming”.

Chell

Chell is the silent protagonist of Portal who is set with the task of breaking several laws of physics in order to make her way through the Aperture Science Enrichment Center.

Links & Sources

Female Video Game Characters
List of Women in video games
Female Protagonists
Gender representation in video games

Opinions and Confessions

The Videogame That Finally Made Me Feel Like a Human Being

 

[Authority]

"Hey sister, go sister, soul sister"

 

[Sober]

You're missing a few adventure game heroines (April Ryan, Zoe Castillo from The Longest Journey; Kate Walker from Syberia).

 

[ReBurn]

Not enough people banned in the girl gamers thread to satisfy the blood gods?

 

[Vashetti]

Err where's Ellie (TLOU)?