There is nothing hotter than a hot woman who can kick ass; at least that’s what my fiance says. Personally, it’s empowering to watch an attractive woman take down the forces of darkness, be they supernatural or symbolic. Fans of the warrior women unite! Ayiiiyiiiyiii!

I used to tend bar on Saturday mornings and afternoons in a sports bar. Before the big games started, a group of local guys would gather around the bar and watch Xena: Warrior Princess. If I even reached for the remote during a commercial to check the weather, the glares were so sharp, I could feel my blood backing up against my veins. Men and women alike love Lucy Lawless, and while she’s taken to much more feminine roles in the latter years of her career, there are few who will ever forget how amazing she looked in that short, leather skirt and bra combo.

Lynda Carter was one of my heroes as a little girl.

Even though I veered away from the superhero shows, I did sneak my fair share of Wonder Woman episodes. I even had my very own set of Wonder Woman Underoos. My dad was a big fan of Lynda Carter as well, which is probably why we watched Wonder Woman whenever it was on, but either way there’s no doubt about it she kicked serious behind!

Remember when Heroes used to be good? Yeah, you know, way back in season one. Back when Niki/Jessica was one of the main characters, and she left a trail of blood and bodies all across America? Even as the series took a drastic nose dive, and Niki Sanders was written out of the plot, Tim Kring wrote another character just for Ali Larter: Tracy Strauss and she had amazing powers. She could freeze anything she came in contact with.

And speaking of Heroes, what about the cheerleader with the power to regenerate? No matter what you think of Hayden Panitierre, the fact that she could come back to life after no matter how you killed her makes her one ass-kicking baddie you don’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a list of amazing women warriors without the baddest chick of them all—Buffy Summers. Blessed, or maybe she was cursed, with supernatural strength and regeneration, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was destined to dwell in the center of the Hellmouth. Her job? Keeping the forces of hell at bay while the rest of us go about our mundane, everyday lives. She also had a full posse of beautiful babes on her side, including the wiccan witch, Willow, reformed demon, Anya and captain of the fashion police, Cordelia.

Role models, warriors and beauties, shows like Xena and Buffy set the tone for strong female characters, paving the way for the woman warrior inside us all.