Because you like Susanna Kaysen in Girl, Interrupted

Curving free kicks and crosses is tough, but keeping her soccer passion from her disapproving family is way tougher for Jess. See them in Bend It Like Beckham.

A compassionate medical student, Martha Jones has found a Doctor she can really look up to. See them in Doctor Who.

More of a sex symbol than a crime-stopper, the original Silk Spectre has now become the ultimate superhero stage mom. See them in Watchmen.

Hoban Washburne shows you can be a hotshot space pilot *and* play with dinosaurs. See them in Firefly.

While his twin tries to save lives, Millions Knives does the best to end them. See them in Trigun.

A laid-back wanderer, Ginko has an empathetic, open-minded worldview. See them in Mushishi.

Much more than just "Coach Taylor's wife," Tami Taylor is making herself known in town as a caring, persistent guidance counselor. See them in Friday Night Lights (TV).

With an undeniable sense of adventure, Huck Finn is an expert at getting into and, more importantly, out of sticky situations. See them in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Foul mouthed and disturbingly comfortable with violence, Hit-Girl is a precocious assassin who doesn't need anyone's protection. See them in Kick-Ass.

The "runt" of his biker gang, Tetsuo Shima grapples with a perpetual inferiority complex. See them in Akira.

In Dennis Reynolds' mind, only a psycho wouldn't have a six-part system to bring home women. And he should know. See them in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia .

A Washington DC fixer, Olivia Pope can make roadblocks disappear with a single phone call. "It's handled" is her life motto. See them in Scandal.