FEMALE HEROISM IN RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON: A GENDER PERFORMATIVITY AND FEMALE MASCULINITY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study critically examines the construction of female heroism in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) through the theoretical perspectives of Butler’s gender performativity and Halberstam’s female masculinity. Adopting a qualitative descriptive approach, the analysis traces Raya’s character development and positions her heroic representation in comparison with earlier Disney warrior heroines, particularly Mulan and Merida. The findings indicate that Raya’s heroic identity is not portrayed as an inherent or biologically predetermined quality; rather, it emerges as a socially constituted identity continuously shaped through actions, choices, and interactions. Her transformation into a heroine develops through five interrelated stages: accepting responsibility as the Guardian of the Dragon Gem, demonstrating emotional resilience in the face of betrayal, exercising relational leadership grounded in empathy, choosing trust over vengeance, and ultimately restoring social harmony. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that qualities traditionally coded as masculine, such as courage, decisiveness, and responsibility, can be embodied by women without undermining or erasing their feminine identity. The study therefore argues that Raya and the Last Dragon marks a significant progression in Disney’s representation of female heroism. While Mulan’s heroic journey culminates in victory within a military conflict and Merida’s centers on resolving familial tensions, Raya’s narrative reaches its climax through the restoration of a fragmented social order. In this respect, Raya represents an expanded model of female heroism in which individual courage is intertwined with relational leadership, collective reconciliation, and broader social transformation.