Forum - View topicAnime with Strong Female Leads/Co-Leads?
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5150 |
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Because Ignatz posed a similar question, I'd like to start off a recommendation thread along similar lines.
Sooo... What anime would you recommend that has strong female leads?
Indices Anime Index please note that this index is now a work in progress -- I am in the process of putting in links to posts by errinundra where images have been provided User Index
Last edited by nobahn on Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:50 am; edited 99 times in total |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18460 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I think this is a worthwhile cross-genre category, so I sanction it as an officially-approved recommendation thread. Please use the format that nbahn does above, with including an encyclopedia link for any series mentioned. (And nbahn, can I prevail upon you to regularly update your OP with a summarized listing of the recommendations? Listing will be permissible for that purpose only.)
However, I am expanding this to include Co-Leads, as some otherwise-excellent options would be omitted if being a singular lead was a requirement. And to be clear, being a lead protagonist definitely does not automatically make a female character a "strong" lead. You can exclude nearly all reverse-harem series, for instance.(although I would be particularly interested to see if someone can legitimately nominate a candidate from that genre). I will later bring up a few titles myself, as this is a category near and dear to my heart. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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No doubt someone will nominate Yoko from Twelve Kingdoms. Not me though.
Crest of the Stars, Banner of the Stars I, Banner of the Stars II and Banner of the Stars III I recommend Lafiel. You know someone is strong when they can grin like a wolf at their enemies. She is highly competent and can be legitimately scary at times. ---------- Beast Player Erin Erin is perhaps a little too passive at times but she holds massive inner strength and really carries her show. ---------- Hataraki Man Finally, I am going to recommend a little-known woman called Hiroko Matsukata, who was the lead character from the also little-known series Hataraki Man. She's a stronger female lead than most of the badarses I suspect people will talk about. That's because despite her being just a normal person with realistic flaws (who can throw rather pathetic tantrums), she can still stand strong and forge her path in a male-dominated workplace. Some female characters are so masculine in their personality that they are basically men with breasts. Balsa could have been made a man and nothing would have changed about her personality, the way most characters treated her and even the entire show. Hiroko on the other hand is different. Hiroko's femininity is utterly crucial for who she is and what she does. The entire plot of the show would have been different had Hiroko been a man, which is not something you can say about most female leads outside of romance shows. She's undeniably feminine despite her often masculine outlook on life and her occasional difficulty in bonding with other women. Yet she is so strong she still outshines all the men; she is successful not because of her masculine demeanour but because she is a strong person and a strong woman. She knows what it is like to be underestimated and treated as inferior just because of her gender but she's having none of that. She'll openly challenge anyone who looks down on her or her female colleagues. And besides giving her fortitude, her gender also motivates her and is a crucial part of her ambition. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18460 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Oh, I think you'll see a few more of that type than you might expect, dtm42.
Another outstanding example of a strong female lead whose femininity is crucial to her character is Shurei Hong from The Story of Saiunkoku (who is, incidentally, also one of the rare examples of a strong reverse harem lead). Physically she is quite vulnerable - in fact, she has to be rescued or protected by male characters on numerous occasions - but she has an indomitable determination and strength of will, coupled with substantial intelligence and resourcefulness, which allows her to not only win the right to enter a realm which had previously allowed no access to women but also prevail there, too. Even before that, she is able to bend the lackadaisical ruler of her country to a proper path through carefully-chosen words and examples. Probably the ultimate example of her strength comes from the late episodes of the firs series, where she spoiler[faces down the head of the Sa clan in his own lair and pretty much crushes him in a battle of wills]. She is, in my opinion, one of the best female role models in anime, as she accomplishes what she strives for without sacrificing being a woman. |
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EricJ2
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Ranma 1/2 - With the Blu set hitting next week, now's a good time to reappreciate Akane.
(Whose "violent temper" and martial-arts prowess that scared Ranma off wouldn't raise a single eyebrow in the US. Okay, 1-1/2 strong females if you count Ranma, and Shampoo wouldn't really be called a "lead".) Last edited by EricJ2 on Sun Mar 23, 2014 2:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Vaisaga
 Posts: 13240 |
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Kurokami The Animation
Kuro can throw down with the best of them, and unlike other 'Shana clone' heroines, she's a sweet and kind girl. The show doesn't give her special treatment just because she's female, either. She'll take damage just like any other character but will still keep on fighting. --- Strike the Blood "No, senpai. This is our fight!" Yukina is constantly fighting shoulder to shoulder with the world's strongest vampire. He might have the raw power, but she is incredibly skilled with her spear and martial arts moves. She is often the one to finish off the arc boss. |
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WhiteHairGirls
 Posts: 4713 Location: New York City |
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Kino's Journey] Kino is a pistol wielding badass that is on a lone journey with her talking motorcycle. One think I really liked about her was that she doesn't really intervene with other people's problems unless it is absolutely necessary.
Last edited by WhiteHairGirls on Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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The problem I have with Kino is that though she's undoubtedly strong both physically and mentally, she is androgynous to the point where the fact that she's female has no bearing on her character. She's a strong character who just so happens to be female, rather than a strong woman. Apart from that king threatening to make her his wife, she's completely interchangeable with a male character. If people using this thread just want a strong character who happens to be female then Kino is fine, but if they want a strong female character then Kino doesn't really fit the bill.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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This topic zeroes in on my foremost reason for watching anime: its abundance of fantastic, strong female characters. Here are some of my favourites.
Top row (l-r) Noir, Mireille Bouquet Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit, Balsa Fate / Stay Night, Rin Tohsaka Princess Tutu, Princess Tutu 2nd row (l-r) Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Homura Akemi Paprika, Dr Atsuko Chiba Galaxy Express 999, Maetel Claymore - Clare 3rd row (l-r) Crest of the Stars, Princess Lafiel Spice and Wolf, Holo Kurau Phantom Memory, Kurau CANAAN, Canaan Bottom row (l-r) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, Major Motoko Kusanagi Ergo Proxy, Re-l Mayer Angel Beats!, Yuri Nakamura The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Haruhi Suzumiya Just some of the strong anime female leads I love so much. Just look to your left - even a six year old (Rin Kaga from Bunny Drop) can be a strong lead character. (And I'll leave someone else to do Youko Nakajima from The Twelve Kingdoms.) But, wait, what about Victorique Du Blois from Gosick? Or the eponymous Chihayafuru? The girls from Dennou Coil? Perhaps Shiki from The Garden of Sinners? Reki from Haibane Renmei? Ohana from Hanasaku Iroha? Yuka Kamitsuki from Kemonozume? Fujiko Mine from the latest Lupin III instalment? Noda Megumi from Nodame Cantabile? And, of course, Taiga Aisaka from Toradora!? This has become a list... gotta stop. I might add that I think the strong can also refer to a character that is strongly presented without necessarily being physically or mentally tough. A good example would be Makoto Kanno from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. She may be a bit of a dill but she is a wonderful, independent creation. Strongly delineated, you might say. Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 28, 2019 2:54 pm; edited 24 times in total |
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Cam0
 Posts: 4927 |
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What about Birdy the Mighty: Decode?
Birdy is physically very strong and she is strong-willed. She is also an investigator from space and kicks alien ass. Edit: Sorry for the inconvenience, please don't eat me. Link added. Last edited by Cam0 on Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:32 am; edited 2 times in total |
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nobahn
Subscriber Posts: 5150 |
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I would appreciate it very much if
 
(I'll edit my OP later today) EDIT: My thanks to EricJ2 and Cam0 for providing links!  
Last edited by nobahn on Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Totally wrong! She is mother-substitute to Chagum; daughter-substitute to Jiguro and love-object to Tanda. The smile she unleashes when she purloins the slave trader's horse is pure female. She only lacks the worn out otaku fetish adornments to her appearance and personality. That makes her more realistically female to me than, say, someone like Ami Kawashima from Toradora! Last edited by Errinundra on Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:51 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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Burst Angel has two female leads.
Jo is the one with incredible physical strength and fighting ability. I don't recall her showing any other type of strength except for her desire to protect Meg, at any cost. Meg is somewhat more than a normal girl in terms of physical strength, though not nearly as strong as Jo, but she is not lacking in courage and dedication to her job and her friends, especially Jo. Meg has a reputation for being abducted and rescued by Jo, but that reputation is undeserved and exaggerated, in my opinion. Meg puts herself at great risk to do her job and to help others, and she can usually take care of herself. Cardcaptor Sakura: She may not immediately come to mind when you think of "female" characters but I think that Sakura Kinomoto should qualify. She definitely has strength of character. She always fights to help others, whether they are family, friends, or strangers. She even fights to save her cards. Sakura may not have much physical strength in her body, but some of the cards that she controls could qualify as weapons of mass destruction. Kiddy Grade Eclair is the main character. At the start she is little more than a teenage girl with incredible physical strength and fighting ability. As the show progresses she develops doubts about herself, the job that she is doing and the people that she works for. She shows that she has more than just physical strength when she is willing to risk her career and even her life to try to correct what she sees as injustice. Lumiere is Eclair's partner and co-lead character. She looks younger but is much more mature and reliable than Eclair. She provides stability and support for Eclair and shows her own strength of character. Koihime Muso Shin Koihime Muso Shin Koihime Muso: Otome Tairan Kan'u Uncho- (real name Aisha) is the lead character in all three shows. She starts as an extremely strong and skilled warrior whose only goal is to get revenge on the bandits who killed her family. As she searches she realizes that many others have lost as much as she has, or more, and that it is still continuing. Her goal changes from getting revenge to helping to relieve the suffering of others. During her journeys she gains the loyalty of many other strong women and builds a formidable army. My-HiME has many strong female characters, with Mai Tokiha being the main character. Aside from the physical powers that she develops her main strengths are shown first in her dedication to her little brother at the cost of her own happiness. Later in the show as things start to fall apart she tries hard to be the one that holds them together. More than once she shows a willingness to sacrifice her life for others. My-Otome is very much like My-HiME in terms of strong female characters, with Arika Yumemiya being the lead. As her physical powers develop she wants to use them to help others. More than once she is put in a situation where she has to take great risks to save her friends, and possibly the world. Last edited by Touma on Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:30 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Touma, my opinion is that all strong female characters in anime spring from the original magical girl, Princess Knight, Sapphire. I think she revolutionised what a female character could be. And her creator would be none other than Osamu Tezuka, where everthing began. (Although Witch Girl Sally pre-dated Princess Knight in anime form, Tezuka's manga came first.)
After the Girls with Guns genre, I think the Magical Girl genre is the one most likely to present us with independent, strong female leads. Hence, I have two in my list. By the way, I haven't previously mentioned Gunslinger Girl as I think all the girls are essentially slaves (which doesn't stop the first season from being magnificent). 
More strong female leads / co-leads. Top row (l-r) El Cazador de la Bruja, Nadie Madlax, Madlax Mezzo Forte, Mikura Suzuki Black Lagoon, Revy 2nd row (l-r) Gunsmith Cats, Rally Vincent Dirty Pair, Yuri & Kei Kite, Sawa 009 Re:Cyborg, Françoise Arnoul (Cyborg 003) 3rd row (l-r) Bunny Drop, Rin Kaga The Twelve Kingdoms, Youko Nakajima Gosick, Victorique de Blois Chihayafuru 2, Chihaya Ayase Bottom row (l-r) Dennou Coil, Yūko "Isako" Amasawa The Garden of Sinners, Shiki Ryougi Haibane Renmei, Reki Princess Knight, Sapphire Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 28, 2019 2:55 pm; edited 7 times in total |
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Knoepfchen
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Psycho-Pass has Tsunemori Akane who possesses a certain kind of emotional/mental strength that uniquely qualifies her to become the hero within the show's universe. Fortunately, she also possesses the necessary amount of intelligence in order to put her gifts to use in order to serve society. Her journey from wide eyed rookie to seasoned leader is quite a pleasure to watch.
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