Forum - View topicAnime with Strong Female Leads/Co-Leads?
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varmintx
 Posts: 1235 Location: Covington, KY |
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Vaisaga
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Well, since it just finished up...
Noragami Hiyori's not a primary combatant (though she's more than able to drop kick some monsters), but her strong spirit and big heart serve as a much needed pillar of support for those around her. While not exactly happy with the condition she finds her body in, she adapts to it well enough and doesn't mope. When Yato and Yukine find themselves in trouble, she'll jump right in and help them, regardless of the risks to her own safety. |
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EricJ2
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Heck, I'd post YouTube clips, if the mods let us. 
But fixed, in the interest of 90's anime literacy. |
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Ghost_Wheel
 Posts: 203 |
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You can be sure I'll be back for more but for now I'm listing:
Noein: To Your Other Self Haruka is a very strong female character because of her levelheadedness. Her ability to deal with adults, extra dimensional beings, hostile forces, and unusual situations and responsibilities is far better than that of most adults I know in anime and in real life. The fact that she is a well constructed child character only affords more respect from me and often causes her to be overlooked in these analysis. |
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Bright_Spear
Posts: 340 |
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Why hasn't anyone said Yomiko Readman yet. She's a badass library secret agent.
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Melanchthon
 Posts: 550 Location: Northwest from Here |
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When it comes to strong female characters, too often people confuse simple physical strength instead of actual strong character development, independence, and mental fortitude. In short, being an Action Grrl Bad-ass does not make a strong female character.
To take the Shana series, listed in the OP, in the first season Shana is not a strong character, because she is too flawed--from being turned into a inhuman killing machine and the cracks that appear from being around regular humans (this is not a critic of the show, I think it is good character development, but it does not make her strong). In the second season, she is a weak character -- too dependant on her boyfriend, too indecisive, and too caught up in the silly love triangle. But in the third season, she is a very strong character, independent, sure of herself, confident to fight her own love, always in control and she does spoiler[save the world and get the guy in the end too]. Third season Shana is probably one of the strongest female leads I've seen.
I would consider Readman as a weak character, she is somewhat cowardly and insecure, and doesn't really make a stand or defend anything unless her hand is forced. It has been a while since I watched any Read or Die, however, so I could be selling her short. There are too many to list, but here are a four not mentioned yet: Koko Hekmatyar, Jormungard: Koko never fires a gun. She doesn't have any physical strength. But she is strong enough to command the loyalty of the world's best mercenaries, travel around the worst places in the world, make deals with murderous men that would kill her as soon as look at her, and take on the best the CIA has to throw at her. The Chess Master Matsunaga Mikage and Matsunaga Tomomi, Miracle Girls: Unlike Hekmatyar's inhuman coldness, these twins are very human, with many flaws and foibles. However, they are both well written, well developed characters that balance being strong and independent with their feminine sides. Also, the ending pulls a reverse fairy tale -- spoiler[they have to rescue a guy from being forced to marry a princess.] Chiko, Nijuu-Mensou no Musume: Chiko was a rich heiress, struggling to survive while her relatives tried to kill her for her fortune. She was rescued by a legendary gentleman thief, learned his skills, and then set out on her own to solve his mystery when he was taken from her. This show is the best anime you've never seen. Shion, Shion no Ou: Shion's family was brutally murdered by a shogi playing madman, the trauma causing her to lose the ability to speak. But this doesn't stop her -- she becomes a shogi master and joins a tournament to try to hunt down the killer. |
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yuna49
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Melancthon just listed the two shows I was about to recommend, Nijuu Mensou no Musume and Shion no Ou. That pretty much completed my list since errinundra covered the waterfront. (That's Shion in my avatar, by the way.)
I'll add Watanabe Saki from Shin Sekai Yori. Saki seems a rather unprepossessing young girl when we meet her at ten, but she demonstrates considerable reserves of bravery and commitment over the course of the show. As for the comments on other characters: I agree that Balsa would have been a much less effective character as a man, and it would have undermined scenes like her confrontation with Chagum late in the story. I like Haruka from Noein a lot, but I'm not sure I'd consider her strong. True she remains level-headed when confronted with a world gone mad, but at times I find her implausibly unperturbed and accepting. Nodame does have a lot of inner strength that she hides underneath a flaky exterior. In large part, she seems unaware of these aspects of her personality. Most of her development occurs near the end of the first season, so her strength, as opposed to her talent, is not apparent for quite some time. Finally I give a strong second to Key's recommendation of Shurrei from Saiunkoku Monogatari. I'm a big fan of Kuwashima Houko's work as a voice actor, but this role might be the pinnacle of her illustrious career. As an especially powerful example of Shurrei's strength of character, I'd point to her speech before the all-male council of lords in episode eight of the never-licensed season two. Saiunkoku remains one of my favorite shows, but unfortunately because the license expired, it is no longer one that can be purchased legally in R1 at a reasonable price. And, speaking of shows not available here, I'm also a big fan of Hataraki Man. Those who only think of Tanaka Rie as the "queen of the tsunderes" need to watch this show. Tanaka delivers a mature, nuanced performance as the world-weary Hiroko trying to manage a professional career in the patriarchal culture of the Japanese workplace. Last edited by yuna49 on Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:54 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Aylinn
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What about Revolutionary Girl Utena (TV)? She shows fortitude from the beginning and still gets great character development.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18454 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Oh, I think you're totally misremembering the series here. While she was a complete flake, there was nothing cowardly or insecure about Yomiko. (At least in the OVA.) Nothing backed her down when it came to her precious books; in fact, she took some pretty insane risks to retrieve them and was basically shown to have little sense of self-preservation in those cases. That being said, I am still on the fence about whether or not she constitutes a "strong" character. Powerful? Absolutely. But she's quite a bit too much of a flake. Princess Knight absolutely belongs on the list. She is the standard-setter for all strong female leads which came after her (which is literally every other name that will pop up in this thread). I am supposed to be at work at the moment, so I will save adding a few recommendations for later. Some of my top choices have already been mentioned (Kurau, for instance), but there are many others who haven't been brought up yet - like many of the Miyazaki leads, for instance, or even less conventional choices like Guu from Hare + Guu. And I actually don't think I'll bring up or approve of Yoko from The Twelve Kingdoms. She shines much brighter as an example of character growth but was definitely not a consistently strong female lead. |
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Animegomaniac
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I'm not really sure what "strong" means as a lead and I'm also pretty sure the Major is a man in a gynoid body so I'm also having doubts on the whole "female" thing. Also, any of the Bee Train's "Girls with Guns" series really should only be considered if they have men beyond being targets for said gun wielding girls. Yes, at least one of the women in Noir has to be "strong" or it would be a pretty tough 26 episodes to watch.
It's still a tough 26 episodes to watch regardless of how strong a lead Kirika is. Mireille? Sorry, I didn't see that series; In the one I saw, she constantly dithered over whether or not to shoot Kirika, right from the first episode where Kirika was literally asking for it. Would "strong" be Akiho from Robotics;Notes? Her dreams and compassion for the bots drive the series forward, more so than the passive Shana from Shakugan no Shana who seems to me to spend the series reacting to her "male". I guess it'd be unfair to bring up The Slayers with a certain sorceress named Lina as the stories are pretty much made to show off how strong she is. For starters, it's a shounen style series without a male lead even close to her position and determination. She's the lead by default with the world's existence depending on her actions constantly and she does not disappoint. Well, she couldn't as the series would be over. I also like the trio of female leads from LaGrange where about 2/3 through the series, they decide that since everyone is pretty much friends, present and former, that the whole fighting/war thing is pretty dumb when everyone should be working together to save people. And unlike Claus and Lavie from Last Exile, they manage to pull off the pacifist thing without coming off as cowards who shy away from fighting. Ok, it's by slapping those in charge but my point is still valid that they didn't use their mechs ... which gets to be a complaint in some circles but not fighting is a better sign of true strength than viciously lashing out at people {Yeah, I'm a fan of Linebarrels of Iron for these same points, so what?}. Mai Tokiha from My Hime is my top pick for any definition of strong. She's still emotional and feminine {I don't mean this in a sexist way, I mean it as these are the first things to go in crafting a "strong female". Oh Fate/Stay Night, your "strong" female leads are either emotionless or masculine and that is cheating} while having the classic shounen lead of "I got to do this myself" determination in everything from fighting evil to supporting her brother and even making friends and getting a boyfriend. Oh, and the best part of the series is when she breaks because no one can carry that much weight on their shoulders {*cough*}. You can feel her impotence, her rage and then, her power. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18454 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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You should make Mai a formal recommendation by using the correct format, Animegomaniac. She was on my list of "to recommend" characters, and for pretty much the same reasons you said, so you'll get no argument from me there. I will disagree that Mireille isn't an appropriate choice, though.
And if The Major is a man in a gynoid body then he's been that way since childhood. (Remember, Motoko is shown to have been one of the first - if not the first - to have a fully cybernetic body, starting when she was just a little girl. ) |
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Ghost_Wheel
Posts: 203 |
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I'll give a very hearty second to Shin Sekai Yori. Saki's specific flavor of strength is exactly what I tend to define strength of character to be, in men or women. To me, strength of character isn't about simply being badass, cold, or determined. It's about having the psyche to be able to adapt and interact with changing situations, deal with the consequences in your way (even if this includes depending on other people), understand the role your actions have in determining the future of the people and communities you care about, and having the guts to take the actions you have faith in. I'd say that Saki's strength is also strongly seen in Akane from Psycho Pass, Birdy from Birdy:Decode, and Haruka from Noein.
Other stuff I can mention: It's not one I'd normally talk much about, but I'll give a nod to Kara no Kyoukai(Garden of sinners). The series is very focused on the nature of the self and free will, and as such gives Ryougi Shiki some very involved character development. I disagree pretty strongly with a lot of its themes and with the way the characters choose to look at the world and solve problems, but Shiki spends the entire movie series mentally grappling with the harsh realities of herself and her world and comes out on top. Edit: looks like this got mentioned but not elaborated on earlier, so I'll leave it. I guess I'll weigh in on Noir at this point. I really like the show, but I'm having trouble really placing either of the characters as strong on their own. And it's not like Mireille's dithering or Kirika's apathy are detractors for me, it's more of a lack of something which distinguishes them as characters from simply what was produced by their environment. Mireille and Kirika are great, and the fact they are who they are (badass, inquisitive, good compliments to each other, and determined enough to take the riskier short term and long term actions to name a few things) and what they do are part of the great circle of the structure of the society and the conspiracy they find themselves quickly wrapped up in only serves to strengthen the show's atmosphere and themes. I guess I wouldn't put this in the tier of Saki like characters but I'd still give it a recommendation because it doesn't really make sense to exclude this kind of thing. I guess I just think it's stronger case for a good or strong lead if when you analyze the character's disposition and actions, it tells you more about the character in a vacuum and how he/she interacts with the rest of the show in a vacuum, and less about how the setting produced a situation like this (in which what the character does is a more direct reflection on how the world and other characters made him/her that way). Another one in the Noir vein is Geneshaft. Lots of strong female characters, but the characters and their interactions mostly serve as a well developed take on the setting. Surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but I'd slate Saber from Fate/Zero as a pretty strong female co-lead. She takes a rather firm stance on her beliefs and carries the weight of a leader well enough in general. One particularly strong one I almost forgot was Ayaka from Phantom Quest Corp. She has a very distinctive style about her. Her strength as a character makes her carries a lot of weight in the show's progression, almost singlehandedly making it as fun as it was to watch. I think this is an interesting example of a more lighthearted show that still satisfies the strong female lead condition nicely. I guess it's a bit of a cheap shot to consider mostly or all female shows like Geneshaft and Gall Force, but I thought Rabby qualified rather nicely, as did many of the leads in the later movies. In the first movie, potentially dangerous events fly by unusually quickly and it takes an examined person with a good sense of judgement and values to be able to resolve them in the way she did. She's a pretty collected and resourceful leader. I guess I'll pick one more before I hang up for now. It seems I forgot about one Saki-tier character from earlier, and that's Layla from Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. Guess it's still ongoing, but the movies we have display her as a pragmatic leader who is composed under pressure, resourceful in using the people she has, and understanding the passive effects of her actions on the society that has rejected her way of thinking. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24154 |
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This seems to be the perfect place to mention my latest anime crush:
Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi from The Gokusen. By day, Kumiko pursues her "dream job" of being a teacher at a rambunctious all boy's school. Her secret is that she is the acting clan leader of a yakuza group (whose devoted members call her "Ojou"). She's highly trained in martial arts and can more than take care of herself, physically. Her students are a bunch of screw-ups who she has a real affection for (despite their less than reverent behavior towards her), but in whom she tries to instil a sense of discipline and responsibility. She understands that sometimes boys have to fight to blow off some steam, but she believes in having a code of honor about it. Anyway, she's a real cool chick and "Caroline Lawson" (I suspect this is pseudonym for a VA who operates under a different name, but I don't know that for sure) does an excellent job bringing her to life, vocally. |
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Bright_Spear
Posts: 340 |
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She spoiler[ went up against the Gentleman, burned down a huge library and went into hiding for the sake of one friend.] I would say most of the main female characters in the R.O.D. universe are strong. They may be flawed, a bit flakey at times, but they would go to the wall for friends, family and just doing the right thing. Read or Die [EDIT: Put spoiler tags in for you. -TK] [EDIT: Link provided for nbahn] Last edited by Bright_Spear on Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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To me, a strong female lead/co-lead is a female character that is well-written and believable. She doesn't need to kick ass or be a stoic "don't need no man" type. All I ask for in ANY character- not just for women- is that they have likable personalities, a decent character arc, and to behave like a real human. As such, I decided to bring up two characters I haven't seen yet on here.
Mamimi Samejima from Fooly Cooly: For all the talk about Haruko Haruhara, who I also find interesting and well-written, I'm surprised nobody really talks about Mamimi. I found her character arc to be the best part of FLCL, to be honest. She was very fascinating to me, and her arc was my favorite part of the story to analyze. Like everyone else in the anime, Mamimi is less than mature. To be more specific, her immaturity is that she has a problem with emotional dependency. It's hinted throughout the series that she was bullied at school and may have some kind of mental disorder. It's also alluded that she might have started a fire at her elementary school, which leads to her meeting Naota's older brother, Tasuku. Things get more complicated, when, at the beginning of the story, we find out that Tasuku moved to America to play baseball AND is in a relationship with an American girl. To Mamimi, Tasuku was her drug to deal with the pain in her life. (Personally, I don't think there was a relationship to begin with; Mamimi probably just stalked him or something.) Her arc is mostly about Mamimi refusing to move on from her crush, instead trying to replace Tasuku in her life. Whether it be Naota, a stray kitten, or even a piece of a giant hand, Mamimi's getting her fix, whether or not anyone else wants her to or not. I really freaking love Mamimi, as you could tell from those enormous paragraphs up there. I think she's just a really interesting character to talk about that goes through good character development. Anybody agree with me? Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Don't you dare try to stop me, I'm going to talk. Madoka may not be physically strong, and she may not be emotionally strong either. But what I found fascinating about Madoka was her resolve to keep going. Keep in mind that, before we find out that Madoka Magica was going to be as dark as it was, we see Madoka as a rather ordinary girl, whose life is pretty okay. Then things went down the crapper as she watches everyone around her get brutally killed or succumb to their inner demons. She is forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines for a good chunk of the anime, as if she were to make a contract with Kyubey, the world would end. I'm surprised that Madoka made it out okay; with all the trauma she had to endure, any other person would probably be driven to despair themselves. Still, people forget that Madoka was a pretty proactive character. Her conflict throughout the show can be summed up like this: "All my friends are dying, terrible things are happening to the ones who haven't died yet, I really wanna help them but this other girl won't let me, and if I try to do something, I'll succumb to my own despair and destroy the world." With that said, Madoka still manages to do what she could. I tagged the most important things she did in the Spoiler tags, though not necessarily in chronological order. spoiler[Almost contracted with Kyubey TWICE, knowing fully well that she'd be forced into a miserable life of child warfare for one wish. Saved Hitomi and several strangers from committing group suicide by Witch, even at the cost of almost getting killed herself. Tried to stop Sayaka from transforming into a Magical Girl before her fight with Kyoko in an attempt to save Sayaka's life. Went into Okatvia's barrier with Kyoko to try and bring Sayaka back to normal, even though she didn't know it was impossible, and knowing fully well that she could die if she failed. Continued to go with Sayaka into Witch barriers to act as emotional support, even after knowing the risks AND after watching her mentor get horrifically decapitated by Charlotte. Went outside in the middle of the Walpurgisnacht battle to make her Big Damn Wish, knowing fully-well that she was throwing her life away and would never see her family and friends ever again] That was all before she made the Big Damn Wish at the end. Go ahead and tell me that Madoka was just a whiny useless crybaby. I'll direct you to the above. And to address it, I actually like when main characters cry. It shows that they're human inside. They can show their emotions and still be proactive at the same time. Just as long as they don't end up as a useless lump that wallows in their own misery or hides behind their waifu. (Hi Shinji and Yukiteru.) |
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