I could mention Trish, but I think you guys already know how much I like her. ^^
But there are definately other strong female characters I like, mostly from fighting games as I am a fighting game geek.
- Cammy from the Street Fighter series.
Cammy is a genetically modified young woman to become the perfect super soldier made by Shadaloo. There's even a theory that she is a modified clone of M. Bison as they share DNA, but it has yet to be confirmed. At first she was a brainwashed bodyguard and super assassin for Bison, but Dhalsim unlocked her free will which had her question her very existence and went against her master. However, he defeated her, almost killed her and left her with amnesia. Somehow she was brought to the Delta Red, a British secret service special forces team who took her in, made some tests and investigated her, but she had completely lost her memory other than knowing she was somehow connected to Shadaloo. She has since then found out what Bison did to her and has dedicated her life to take him and Shadaloo down.
Cammy's story is one of the deepest in the franchise, and knowing that Capcom are ****ty writers, that says alot. However, it is the UDON Street Fighter comics which really goes in the depth of Cammy's story and the reveals in that story is almost horrifying. Considering everything Cammy has been through and her young age (16 as Bison's bodyguard and 19-21 as part of the Delta Red), it is fascinating how strong a personality she has and how she deals with her traumatic past. If you are a Street Fighter or a Cammy fan, I would definately recommend reading the UDON comics.
- Jade from the Mortal Kombat series.
Born as an Edenian, she was given to the evil emperor Shao Kahn by her parents when she was but a child as a gift to show their surrender when he invaded the realm of Edenia and merged it with Outworld. Shao Kahn took her in and trained her to become a lethal assassin working for him, and a bodyguard for the princess Kitana whom she considers her best friend and like a sister. However, when Kitana found out about the truth about her "father" and her true heritage as an Edenian, she fled Outworld. Shao Kahn put Jade on the task to bring Kitana back which put Jade in a difficult position... Should she betray her emperor or her best friend? Along with her was Reptile whom was ordered to kill Kitana on sight which Jade found out, knocked out Reptile and decided to join Kitana against the evil emperor.
(The Story Mode of the newest Mortal Kombat game shows an alternative timeline hence why the story is different in that game)
Now, Jade is more a secondary character, being the supporting character for Kitana, but I just love how she is this pillar of strength and support to Kitana and acts like an older sister, protecting her and helping her in her cause which becomes her cause as well - to free the realm of Edenia and its people from the evil Shao Kahn. She is shown as this elder sister character in the new Mortal Kombat, looking out for Kitana, and when she realizes the truth about Shao Kahn, she fights anyone who stands in her way to help Kitana. She is sassy, sometimes even a bit overconfident, mocking her opponents and then kicks their asses to show her superiourity which I just find fantastic. For a secondary character, I find her to have one of the strongest personalities in the games, not to mention I love her fighting style.
- Jen from Primal.
Jen was just a normal girl, living with her boyfriend Lewis who is the leadsinger in a metal band. One night when he was performing in a club, a tall, creepy guy with red glowing eyes stands in the crowd and stares at him. Lewis freaks out and tells Jen, but she is busier with getting over to their landlord and pay him so he won't throw them out of their apartment. The creepy guy turns out to be a demon who kidnaps Lewis and leaves Jen close to death on the road. At the hospital, a small impish gargoyle by the name of Scree frees her soul from her unconscious body and tells her that her world is in danger, as Abaddon, the lord of Chaos, has broken the balance between Chaos and Order, and that the demon who kidnapped Lewis works for him. Jen is now the only hope to restore balance and save her boyfriend, and on her journey she learns about her own heritage as possibly the daughter of Abaddon.
I love the story of Jen and the game Primal overall, how she is just a regular girl who turns out to be this hybrid of human and demon (demon in this world simply being a supernatural inhabitant of one of the four realms of Nexus) who unlocks her inner power to use against the evil lord of Chaos and save the mortal world. Sounds kinda like a female Dante, though personality wise she is nothing like him. She is this down-to-earth normal girl who is being pulled through all of this, and all she wants is to save her boyfriend. She has such a strong and warm personality that really touched my heart, and the story in the game is almost heartbreaking... I won't make any spoilers though, if you guys wish to play the game yourselves. Anyways, her partnership with the impish but wise Scree is both heartwarming and hilarious, as they constantly have this friendly banter between them from start to end. Too bad there only was this one game for the PS2, but I would definately recommend it.
... Also... What is it with me and sleeveless women in games? XD