
[[quoteright:300:[[LightNovel/OokamiSan http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_oo_6985.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:She'll leave you [[{{Pun}} cat-atonic]] (even if she's supposed to be the big bad wolf).]]

Like the OldMaster, the Cute Bruiser is a living, breathing, frequently painful lesson in never judging a book by its cover.

She appears to be a kid, but in battle she fights like a bruiser. Bruisers tend to melee combat focused on punches and blocks. Traditional bruisers are large husky men who win fights due to their size and strength allowing them to both absorb and put out heavy damage. This contrast between appearance and combat style is what makes the character surprising.

The Cute Bruiser's WeaponOfChoice will probably be GoodOldFisticuffs, a [[CarryABigStick club]], or [[IKnowKarate martial arts]] that focus on direct blows to your opponent instead of pressure points or judo throws. They'll only rarely be using a bladed weapon or depending on projectile weapons, with the exception of [[ImprovisedWeapon throwing]] [[RockBeatsLaser heavy]] [[CarFu objects]]. When confronted with a locked door, her likely solution is to just smash it open. In short, she deals out the blunt trauma very well.

The Cute Bruiser also has some tanking abilities. She is not a GlassCannon who [[FragileSpeedster depends on dodging]]. (Dodging is acceptable behavior, but a Cute Bruiser can take a blow if needed, and so doesn't depend on it). At the end of a fight expect her to be covered in bruises and scratches, but still with a smile on her face, (assuming the fight was won). She might even be RockSteady, hitting like a MightyGlacier, and standing like a StoneWall. Might have SuperStrength as justification.

She is usually TheBigGuy in a FiveManBand, a common subversion of the usual traits associated with that character type. Personality-wise she can vary quite a bit. She might be a BoisterousBruiser, she could share some traits with a LittleMissSnarker, or she may just stick with the apparent contradiction of an innocent CheerfulChild who can mix it up in a bar fight. If she is affiliated with a powerful villain, expect to see just how someone with her appearance got to that position.

Almost always a PintSizedPowerhouse. Often a BadassAdorable or LittleMissBadass. Possibly a SuperStrongChild, in which case she may be a GlacierWaif. Tends to overlap with SmallGirlBigGun when firearms are present. ChildMage and WaifFu which have a similar contrast between appearance and combat effectiveness but using a different combat style. Contrast with the LadyOfWar who is elegant in combat. When she works out enough, she can evolve into an AmazonianBeauty. When past the age of cuteness she usually disappears as a character before re-emerging in old age as a case of NeverMessWithGranny. GirlyBruiser is a SubTrope.

!!Example subpages

* CuteBruiser/AnimeAndManga
* CuteBruiser/ComicBooks
* CuteBruiser/FanWorks
* CuteBruiser/{{Film}}
* CuteBruiser/{{Literature}}
* CuteBruiser/{{Live-Action TV}}
* CuteBruiser/TabletopGames
* CuteBruiser/VideoGames
* CuteBruiser/WebComics
* CuteBruiser/WebOriginal
* CuteBruiser/WesternAnimation
* CuteBruiser/RealLife



* In TarotMotifs, Strength is often depicted as a young girl holding up a beast.

* Noodle of the band Music/{{Gorillaz}}. Being the product of a SuperSoldier project, she has mastery of all forms of weaponry as well as hand to hand combat.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Several of the comedy-based wrestling promotions in Japan feature [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RseGEw0sY1w Kaicho Ramu]], whose gimmick is that she is a little girl, possessed by a demon, and strong enough to casually suplex and chokeslam adults. She actually started when she was 6 years old and (as of 2009) is 8 or 9 years old. (She should be about 11-12 years old as of December 15, 2012 now.)
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sJksFd5AfI&feature=related Riho]] (born June 4, 1997), now '''formerly''' of the Ice Ribbon promotion, has a similar gimmick, minus the possessed-by-a-demon thing. She started when she was 8 years old on May 29, 2006, and 15 years old now (as of December 15, 2012).

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Tomoyo Sakagami of ''VisualNovel/{{CLANNAD}}'' is a quiet, somewhat soft-spoken young lady who aims to be student council president. She also used to (and still can) beat up gangs of delinquents with her bare hands and can deliver upwards of 500 kicks in a matter of two to three seconds with enough force to lift her targets off the ground and keep them there.
* Shikikargura from VisualNovel ''PrincessWaltz'' is about half the height of the other princesses and carries no weapon. Don't think that makes her weak.
* Bakumi Moriyama of ''{{Crimsoness}}'', a high school girl who, after one bad day, goes on a rampage and destroys everything in her path, including a crocodile, a demonic statue, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a door.]] The game ends with her [[spoiler: splitting Earth in half with her BARE HANDS.]]
* Ohtori Chihaya, in ''Rewrite'', looks like your average high-school girl (albeit quite adorable). She also can lift more than six times your average adult male's lift capacity, without breaking a sweat. And walk out of several falls that would cause anyone else serious injury.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* [[http://www.ninjai.com Ninjai]].
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In a WorldOfActionGirls, there were bound to be a couple of these.
** The main protagonist, Ruby Rose, is the youngest member of the main cast at 15. She's about half the size of her weapon, which is a [[MixAndMatchWeapon scythe/sniper rifle combo]] she designed herself. She's also more passionate about weapons than [[NoSocialSkills people]].
** Nora Valkyrie is this and GirlyBruiser. She's a GenkiGirl with a heart motif who almost never stops grinning, even when told she's at risk of dying. Her weapon is as unsubtle as she is; a [[MixAndMatchWeapon grenade launcher/hammer combo]] which, like Ruby's weapon, can propel her through the air. The grenades it fires also have hearts on them.