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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37407
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37407
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

As Totumus Maximus noted in a comment, the fact that your character loses the fight shows, right off the bat, that she is **not** going to be an overpowered Mary-Sue who wins everything without even trying. The fact that she can't defeat the creature (and probably knows she can't) _but tries anyway_ shows that she is courageous and doesn't give up easily, which are very heroic qualities.

However, I'd say it's just as important, if not more important, to consider _how_ your hero fights. Consider the scene in which Indiana Jones is confronted by a swordsman in a crowded market, and instead of engaging him in a drawn-out sword-fight, he just shoots him. It's not much of a fight, sure, but it shows Indy's practicality, no-nonsense nature, and ability to adapt to unexpected challenges - and does such a good job of it that it's become one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history.

There are plenty of other ways of showing your character's personality through their fighting style:

- If her blows are wild, poorly-aimed swings, she's either unskilled, scared out of her mind, or both;
- If she charges in head-first without any kind of strategy, she's probably reckless, hot-headed, or impulsive;
- If she instead hangs back and tries to look for potential weaknesses or openings, she's probably a more intelligent, analytical person;
- If she's a more sly, trickster sort of character, she may engage in more underhanded tactics, from minor things like engaging enemies in witty banter to try and put them off (probably not applicable to your story), to stuff like attacking enemies from behind, or while they're talking... or, indeed, bringing a gun to a knife fight.

Original score: 9