waif-fu

A form of movie martial arts where a tiny, pretty girl gives a beating to opponents much bigger than her who in real life would tear her apart.

A subtrope of Pintsized Powerhouse. Often used by the Action Girl, Faux Action Girl, Hot Amazon, Little Miss Badass, and Lady of War. Very common among characters of the Mary Sue variety. Compare to the Cute Bruiser who uses a completely different style of combat. - tvtropes.org

see Babydoll in Suckerpunch, River in Firefly, Chun Li in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

"Did you see how that ballerina took out that gang member?"

"Yeah, she used some beautifully choreographed waif-fu."

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