Damsels (also known as Distressed Heroes) are heroes who often get captured or kidnapped by villains or land in dangerous situations and need to be rescued by other heroes or protagonists.

Being a Damsel usually involves these occurrences:

• The hero lands in a dangerous situation that another character has to help them out of that raises the stakes.
• The hero constantly lands in trouble and in certain situations where they need rescuing.
• The hero often lands in perilous circumstances and must save themselves.

Types of Damsels[]

Male Damsels[]

Being a Male Damsel.

Damsel in Distress[]

Being a Damsel in Distress.

Examples of Damsels that apply to the heroes, regardless of gender, are:

• The hero is possessed or brainwashed by the villain. (Peeta Mellark from the Hunger Games, Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, Rosalina from the Super Mario Bros. franchise).
• The hero is being attacked by a villain or animal. (Belle from Beauty and the Beast).
• The hero is kidnapped. (Princess Peach and Pauline from the Super Mario Bros. series, Rey from Star Wars, Marina from The Pebble and the Penguin, Ash's Pikachu from Pokémon)
• The hero are put in bondage by the villain or the villain's lackey at some point. (e.g. Quiet Robe from Metroid).
• Being under spells or cursed to die. (Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Anna from Frozen).
• Being constantly trapped or locked might count as "damsel moments", even if the hero isn't in mortal danger. (Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella from Cinderella).
• The hero is being pursued or targeted by the villain and needs constantly to be watched and protected. (Yona from Akatsuki no Yona, Padmé Amidala from Star Wars, X-23 from Logan, Maron Kusakabe from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne).

Can sometimes also overlap with Thrill-Seekers, if their desire for excitement puts them in danger often.

Just because a hero may be a damsel doesn't mean they aren't capable of getting themselves out of trouble without any help. This category is also for those who are just as prone to getting themselves in danger more often than not, even if they are perfectly capable fighters (e.g. Mario, Jake Sully, most versions of Superman, Link, Yuzu Fujisawa, Charlie Barkin and Samus Aran). There are many examples of damsels who fit the criteria, but can get themselves out of trouble without any help needed, even if they risk their own lives in the process (e.g. most versions of Princess Zelda, Rarity, Black Widow, Princess Fiona, Princess Dot, Esmeralda, Angel, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Kevin McCallister, and Captain McCrea). There are also damsels who are willing to stay in captivity in order to find out more on their captors' plans and leak vital information to their heroes through any means of communication available to them, before they either decide to make their escape or they end up being caught (e.g. Paper Princess Peach, Buer). Damsels can even qualify as Pure Good as long as they meet the criteria for it.

NOTE: Be aware that independent heroes who are not "passive" on this list will seem passive as this trope gets a bad rep. Please check if the heroes are in danger before putting them in this category.