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Not a word I normally use, but if there's one thing we all love in books and movies alike, it's characters who really grow a spine, and then some. It's nice if they're not completely wimpy to start with, though the wimpier they are at the first, the more gratifying their development becomes at the end.

So, anyhow, here are the ten bad-A level-ups that win my approval, in reverse order:

10. Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I love his goofy, lighthearted personality well enough, yet it's all too true what the opening narrative says: "He has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anybody." Fortunately, he takes all those lessons to heart, and he still manages to remain kind and fun-loving.

9. Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In a world where women (usually) don't fight, it's pretty awesome to see this pretty girl go from someone who can barely look her enemies in the eyes to someone who will tackle her enemies head-on with an indisputable "it is on like Donkey Kong" expression.

8. Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter. The biggest butt monkey who can hardly hold a wand without dropping it, who ends up playing as pivotal a role as Harry plays in defeating the Dark Lord once and for all. Not bad!

7. Harry Potter (himself) from Harry Potter. I think you get the picture!

6. The Unicorn/Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn. Her character development is a bit more subtle, and the most obvious sign of her growth is how she ends up chasing the very creature who's been chasing her all this time with relative ease. Granted, the Red Bull isn't the type to fight back (the book says as much) but it's still great to read and even better to watch. I finished that movie just tonight, as a matter of fact.

5. Po from Kung Fu Panda. The last person (or animal) everybody has in mind as "the Chosen One," including the villain. Even he has a hard time believing he stands a ghost of a chance. And the next thing you know...skadoosh!

4. Rapunzel from Tangled. For me, few things are more glorious than a victim standing up to their abuser. Of course, this particular abuser refuses to go down without a real fight, but it's amazing how other abusers cow almost instantly, proving their bark is worse than their bite after all.

3. Bambi from Bambi. He's got plenty of bad-A moments as a grown stag, although his growth in the sequel/midquel is nothing to sneeze at, either. For a mild spoiler, young Ronno is forever bragging about how Bambi's got nothing on him (or anyone else, for that matter), but when the dogs come, Bambi's the one to personally take them on while Ronno's the one screaming for his mommy.

2. Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His character growth is absolutely phenomenal. I still tingle all over when he reduces those (solid stone) pillars to rubble and what's left of the chains just slide off him, while his face tells you "you know what" is about to get real, if it hasn't already! The only other scene that can match up to this, if not surpass it, is when he sends Frollo flying across the room like a rag doll.

1. Mulan from Mulan. It's equally ironic and incredible that the most powerful army, the most feared man in China, is taken down almost single-handedly by a simple farm girl. For further irony, Chi Fu gives himself ridiculous airs for his masculinity, yet when a true fight breaks out, he just runs and cowers in the shadows like a little kid. At least everybody else knows better and gives Mulan the respect she deserves, including the Emperor. For all my dislike of Mulan 2, I do appreciate how Mulan is still recognized as a hero and venerated as such.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of other awesome characters who level up in awesomeness. These are just a mere handful I will share with you tonight.

Template courtesy of HorrorExplorer : Top 10 Badass Transformations Template

All images property of their respective owners.

Description

Not a word I normally use, but if there's one thing we all love in books and movies alike, it's characters who really grow a spine, and then some. It's nice if they're not completely wimpy to start with, though the wimpier they are at the first, the more gratifying their development becomes at the end.

So, anyhow, here are the ten bad-A level-ups that win my approval, in reverse order:

10. Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I love his goofy, lighthearted personality well enough, yet it's all too true what the opening narrative says: "He has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anybody." Fortunately, he takes all those lessons to heart, and he still manages to remain kind and fun-loving.

9. Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In a world where women (usually) don't fight, it's pretty awesome to see this pretty girl go from someone who can barely look her enemies in the eyes to someone who will tackle her enemies head-on with an indisputable "it is on like Donkey Kong" expression.

8. Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter. The biggest butt monkey who can hardly hold a wand without dropping it, who ends up playing as pivotal a role as Harry plays in defeating the Dark Lord once and for all. Not bad!

7. Harry Potter (himself) from Harry Potter. I think you get the picture!

6. The Unicorn/Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn. Her character development is a bit more subtle, and the most obvious sign of her growth is how she ends up chasing the very creature who's been chasing her all this time with relative ease. Granted, the Red Bull isn't the type to fight back (the book says as much) but it's still great to read and even better to watch. I finished that movie just tonight, as a matter of fact.

5. Po from Kung Fu Panda. The last person (or animal) everybody has in mind as "the Chosen One," including the villain. Even he has a hard time believing he stands a ghost of a chance. And the next thing you know...skadoosh!

4. Rapunzel from Tangled. For me, few things are more glorious than a victim standing up to their abuser. Of course, this particular abuser refuses to go down without a real fight, but it's amazing how other abusers cow almost instantly, proving their bark is worse than their bite after all.

3. Bambi from Bambi. He's got plenty of bad-A moments as a grown stag, although his growth in the sequel/midquel is nothing to sneeze at, either. For a mild spoiler, young Ronno is forever bragging about how Bambi's got nothing on him (or anyone else, for that matter), but when the dogs come, Bambi's the one to personally take them on while Ronno's the one screaming for his mommy.

2. Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His character growth is absolutely phenomenal. I still tingle all over when he reduces those (solid stone) pillars to rubble and what's left of the chains just slide off him, while his face tells you "you know what" is about to get real, if it hasn't already! The only other scene that can match up to this, if not surpass it, is when he sends Frollo flying across the room like a rag doll.

1. Mulan from Mulan. It's equally ironic and incredible that the most powerful army, the most feared man in China, is taken down almost single-handedly by a simple farm girl. For further irony, Chi Fu gives himself ridiculous airs for his masculinity, yet when a true fight breaks out, he just runs and cowers in the shadows like a little kid. At least everybody else knows better and gives Mulan the respect she deserves, including the Emperor. For all my dislike of Mulan 2, I do appreciate how Mulan is still recognized as a hero and venerated as such.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of other awesome characters who level up in awesomeness. These are just a mere handful I will share with you tonight.

Template courtesy of HorrorExplorer : Top 10 Badass Transformations Template

All images property of their respective owners.