Any good anime with strong female protagonist/main character?

[Akisa]

Aside for Ghost in the Shell I was wondering what are some good anime where the main character was a strong female protagonist or main character of the series.

[Celestia]

I happen to like Grenadier. Rushuna Tendo is basically like Vash the Stampede with an awesome rack.

Azumanga Daioh has an almost exclusively female cast.
Strawberry Panic is also exclusively female.
I know I've seen others, but it's been years. I just can't seem to remember them right now.

[Eldariel]

Pretty hard to go wrong with Mahou Shoujo. Of course, "good" is relative and whether one enjoys the style is a whole other matter; they're usually made with the shoujo demographic in mind. Off the top of my head, Madoka (Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica/魔法少女まどかマギカ/Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is obviously brilliant though you'll probably want to watch some of its predecessors before it has its proper impact. Cardcaptor Sakura is what I'd rate as the best of the classics.

I'm partial to Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士レイアース) Season 2 myself but that's almost certainly in part nostalgia - Season 1 is alright but nothing to write home about. Notably this is a mahou shoujo/mecha crossover so look there if that stroke your fancy. Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena/少女革命ウテナ/Revolutionary Girl Utena) is a very interesting and fairly solid work on many rather deep themes (not to mention with a bit of David Lynch-like "what the hell" thrown in), though certainly not without its flaws.

Princess Tutu is a personal favourite and a brilliant piece of work though you can certainly argue the themes of how strong each of the characters is. That's a part of what makes it so enthralling...not to mention the whole "it's a fairy tale mixture ballet anime".


From other genres, off the top of my head: Kara no Kyoukai (空の境界) is a brilliant anime and certainly one of my own picks for the best anime ever. It also certainly features a strong female protagonist. Kind of noir-style supernatural murder mystery with the main character and the most important supporting character both fitting the bill.

Girls und Panzer is a sports anime of high school girls driving WWII era tanks in　戦車道 - the way of the tank. Oh, and high schools are on aircraft carriers, kind of a long story. Features an all-female cast and despite its rather strange premise, it is actually a brilliant show on many levels.

EDIT: Oh yeah, Ghibli films! I'm personally partial to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ), but many of them are brilliant and they often feature female protagonists.

[tensai_oni]

Okay, do you mean strong as in literally strong, kicking ass, or as having strong motivations and generally being a good character? Either way the answer is: more than you can shake a stick at.

For starters there's the whole magical girl/mahou shojo genre: Cardcaptor Sakura, various PreCure shows, Sailor Moon etc. These shows are aimed at young girls so I'm not sure if they're your cup of tea but they definitely count.

Then there's more mature magical girl shows that are deliberately aimed at an adult audience. The most well known example here is Madoka, and while very good I'm not sure if it qualifies because the titular heroine spends most of the show being passive and doing nothing much (which is the point), but all the proactive characters in the series are female anyway. Other shows here include Nanoha (first series is hit or miss, but Nanoha As is very good and StrikerS is solid too), Symphogear (a bit dark and edgy at first but worth watching), Yuuki Yuna is a Hero (I didn't watch it but I heard really good things).

Other series to recommend:

Noir - about a pair of women assassins. Can get pretty dry or maudlin but oozes atmosphere and style.

Gatchaman Crowds - an eccentric and more than a bit strange (but surprisingly worldly) schoolgirl joins a secret group of heroes that defends Earth from aliens. But actually, it's about social media, responsibility and ways of making the world a better place. Sometimes slow but well worth a watch.

Izetta - a recent show set in a setting that is totally not World War II with the numbers filled off, with the protagonist being a witch stuck in the middle of it.

Seirei no Moribito - a badass female warrior has a very important but deadly mission of escorting a young prince. Once again I didn't watch this one but I really want to as I heard good things.

And here's some mecha shows with female protagonists:
Patlabor - young tomboyish policewoman joins a force specializing in stopping labor (giant robot) related crime. It's a bit slice of life and actually light hearted despite having a relatively realistic take on giant robots.

Gunbuster - the heroine learns about HARD WORK and GUTS and how they help in stopping an alien invasion. Also has a distant spiritual sequel made 20 years later, Diebuster, which seems much different (and weirder) at first but also qualifies.

Rinne no Lagrange - energetic schoolgirl finds herself piloting a giant robot, proceeds to wrestle, suplex, and utilize improvised weapons (and silly noises) in defense of her beloved seaside hometown. I admit it's not an amazing series, but it's decent and I found it comfy and fun.

There's way more series that count than these, these are just some examples off the top of my head. EDIT: How could I forget Girls und Panzer?

[Friv]

Read or Die is mostly strong women. The initial OVA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI2lftWJIpw) was a three-episode series about a group of secret agents with superpowers fighting against cloned geniuses on behalf of the British Library; the followup TV series was about three magical sisters acting as bodyguards to a popular but struggling author, and gradually shifted from comedy-action into a conspiracy show about rewriting the nature of the world. Both are very good.

And if you don't mind some really, really blatant fanservice, Kill La Kill is actually a show about some extremely badass women. The premise of the show is, "isn't it funny that the word "fashion" sounds like the word "fascism", and it's about a delinquent searching for her father's killer getting hold of a costume that grants her amazing super-powers, while dealing with a fascist-controlled high school whose student council also has super-powered suits, and then things develop from there. But oh, man, so much fanservice, especially in the early episodes.

[DoctorFaust]

For physically powerful, Madoka, Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Symphogear, Kara no Kyoukai, both Gunbuster and Diebuster, Girls und Panzer (I think all of these have already been mentioned), the female MC of Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is significantly more physically powerful than the male MC though his ability tends to be the one that ends the fights since they avoid killing, Fujiko Mine tends to get one up on Lupin III more often than not from what I've seen, A freakin' Certain Scientific Railgun even though the MC does get overpowered by two characters in one arc, and Revy is the one of the biggest ass-kickers in Black Lagoon. There's also a fairly significant amount of badass female pilots in the various Gundam series.

If you meant strong as in well written, I'd still say Black Lagoon, Kara no Kyoukai, and Madoka. There's a lot of well-written SoL starring female characters if you're okay with that. I'd point out Sora no Woto, Aria, and Akagami no Shirayuki-hime as some of the standouts in that regard. The female MCs of Death Parade, FLCL, and Your Lie in April are all brilliantly written as well, imo, but they take a slightly more supporting role than in some of the other series.

[Traab]

Hellsing Ultimate. Yeah the MAIN character is Alucard, but he has Seras Victoria as his spunky sidekick and we get to see her character develop (Not that way, its fairly obvious she did plenty of that before the series started) into accepting that she is a kickass vampire with massive guns in every sense of the word. :smallbiggrin: And there is also Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who, despite the title, is very much so a lady who ran out of damns to give a long time ago. She is relentlessly badass for being a relatively normal human in a world with superpowered undead and such. She is also the boss of the hellsing organization and gives Alucard orders on who to kill. Surrounded by a squad of nazi vampires armed with machine guns, she decapitates one with her sword and challenges the rest to give it a go.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Read or Die is mostly strong women. The initial OVA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI2lftWJIpw) was a three-episode series about a group of secret agents with superpowers fighting against cloned geniuses on behalf of the British Library; the followup TV series was about three magical sisters acting as bodyguards to a popular but struggling author, and gradually shifted from comedy-action into a conspiracy show about rewriting the nature of the world. Both are very good.

I'd second Read or Die (OAV). The TV series less so (but still very good).


And if you don't mind some really, really blatant fanservice...

If you can stand early episode fanservice, then Najica Blitz Tactics is also good (and at three DVDs, reasonably short).

If you want to delve into the classics, the original Project A-Ko might be worth a look.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Saying Kill La Kill has fanservice is sort of a when-you-have-a-hammer way of describing it. Especially saying "really, really blatant fanservice," I think that's way off the mark. Yeah, it has skimpy outfits, but... most "irritating fanservice anime" is ecchi, and ecchi has many genre conventions designed to drive home the fanservice that Kill La Kill doesn't.

Anyway, Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona. It looks like the anime won't be continued past its first season, so uh, manga I guess. The female lead is a very sheltered, spoiled princess, who is saved from death during a coup by her bodyguard and flees into the mountains. At first she is just a burden, shellshocked and with no practical skills of her own, but she has always had great determination. When she recovers, she decides not to stay in a safe refuge, but to travel onwards.

[Blackhawk748]

Fairy Tail has Erza Scarlet who is a main member of the ensemble cast.

[BiblioRook]

Kill la Kill and Black Lagoon were probably the first two that popped into my head when I saw the thread but at the same time thought 'Nah, surely that's not what the OP would be looking fir, right?"

In any case, man did you cast a wide net, feels like anime more then most mediums tend to be more open to having female protagonists so there is certainly a lot for you out there depending on what it is you are actually looking for. Maybe it would help if you can narrow it down a but? Like are you interested in a patticuler genre or maybe a certain subject mater?

[Friv]

Saying Kill La Kill has fanservice is sort of a when-you-have-a-hammer way of describing it. Especially saying "really, really blatant fanservice," I think that's way off the mark. Yeah, it has skimpy outfits, but... most "irritating fanservice anime" is ecchi, and ecchi has many genre conventions designed to drive home the fanservice that Kill La Kill doesn't.

You may feel that way, but I know for a fact that two of my female friends found the presentation so off-putting and disturbing that they were not physically able to get past the fourth episode. I have other female friends who got through that, but I know that at least two other friends only bothered to do so because I assured them that the series improved (they did thank me for convincing them to hang in there).

In particular, the way that Senketsu's introduction is played like a slightly comical rape scene really freaked one friend out, and the other was incredibly upset by all of the "people leer at Ryoko while Satsuki tells her that feeling embarrassed is weakness and how dare she not want to be ogled" scenes.

And it does improve! By the end, KLK is one of the greats, and notable for having women in nearly every role of power, and I could be wrong but I think the actual sexualization of the camera angles gradually reduces as well. But it has a really tricky start.

[Hiro Protagonest]

You may feel that way, but I know for a fact that two of my female friends found the presentation so off-putting and disturbing that they were not physically able to get past the fourth episode. I have other female friends who got through that, but I know that at least two other friends only bothered to do so because I assured them that the series improved (they did thank me for convincing them to hang in there).

In particular, the way that Senketsu's introduction is played like a slightly comical rape scene really freaked one friend out, and the other was incredibly upset by all of the "people leer at Ryoko while Satsuki tells her that feeling embarrassed is weakness and how dare she not want to be ogled" scenes.

And it does improve! By the end, KLK is one of the greats, and notable for having women in nearly every role of power, and I could be wrong but I think the actual sexualization of the camera angles gradually reduces as well. But it has a really tricky start.

The first thing I don't have an answer for, I literally never thought about it.

Thesecond thing is too different from my perception of it for me to agree. Ryuko has to focus on why she called Senketsu's power, on the fight she's in. As well-intentioned as Mako is, she... kinda has to be ignored.
Otherwise the first transformations are the only time I remember camera angles. And I give that a pass because that was basically a magical girl parody, it was pretty funny.

I don't have any tolerance for ecchi, but I do have some tolerance for fanservice. And Kill La Kill's first half is weird in general. *shrug*

[tiornys]

I'll add Serial Experiments: Lain and Psycho-Pass to the list.

[Akisa]

Kill la Kill and Black Lagoon were probably the first two that popped into my head when I saw the thread but at the same time thought 'Nah, surely that's not what the OP would be looking fir, right?"

In any case, man did you cast a wide net, feels like anime more then most mediums tend to be more open to having female protagonists so there is certainly a lot for you out there depending on what it is you are actually looking for. Maybe it would help if you can narrow it down a but? Like are you interested in a patticuler genre or maybe a certain subject mater?


Read or Die is mostly strong women. The initial OVA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI2lftWJIpw) was a three-episode series about a group of secret agents with superpowers fighting against cloned geniuses on behalf of the British Library; the followup TV series was about three magical sisters acting as bodyguards to a popular but struggling author, and gradually shifted from comedy-action into a conspiracy show about rewriting the nature of the world. Both are very good.

And if you don't mind some really, really blatant fanservice, Kill La Kill is actually a show about some extremely badass women. The premise of the show is, "isn't it funny that the word "fashion" sounds like the word "fascism", and it's about a delinquent searching for her father's killer getting hold of a costume that grants her amazing super-powers, while dealing with a fascist-controlled high school whose student council also has super-powered suits, and then things develop from there. But oh, man, so much fanservice, especially in the early episodes.

Got done with Kill La Kill and had to turn off at thr clothes rape scene. Came back an hour later almost turned it off again at the hostage scene. Yeah I'm done with the series after the first episode.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Got done with Kill La Kill and had to turn off at thr clothes rape scene. Came back an hour later almost turned it off again at the hostage scene. Yeah I'm done with the series after the first episode.

...I was at least able to give a true ecchi anime a few episodes before I gave up on it.

[Gilphon]

So nobody's brought up Soul Eater yet. That's my to go recommendation for this topic.

[Officer Joy]

...I was at least able to give a true ecchi anime a few episodes before I gave up on it.

It can also be a problem of tone. I've been able to watch a few ecchi series to completion. But from Akisas' discription I'm pretty sure I would have quit too. There is a world of diference between a light sex comedy show with some action where the camera focusses on the ladies "assets" often. And KaK as described.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

For one in a different vein, Shirobako focuses on five female characters who work in the anime industry, having previously met through creating a high school anime club.

Having actually seen the show, I will strongly second Moribito.

Madoka is definitely a strong pick for these criteria.

While it's not an amazing show, School Live! features almost exclusively female characters, is still good (doing some interesting stuff with its genre), and does a pretty good job of circumventing fanservice, which is good because the main characters are all high-schoolers.

[Knaight]

Having actually seen the show, I will strongly second Moribito.

Thirding this. It's my go to suggestion for people who either have disliked what anime they've seen thus far or want a suggestion at all - it's just that good. That it also happens to fit the specific category hand in glove is a bonus.

[Rodin]

It can also be a problem of tone. I've been able to watch a few ecchi series to completion. But from Akisas' discription I'm pretty sure I would have quit too. There is a world of diference between a light sex comedy show with some action where the camera focusses on the ladies "assets" often. And KaK as described.

Indeedy. There's definite differences in the types of fanservice between different shows. For example, I've had Seven Deadly Sins recommended to me by a number of people, but the incredibly creepy actions of the male lead on the overly passive female lead are just too much. On the other hand, Konosuba has a similar vein of humor (the party warrior being a masochist, for starters...), but as the fanservice is all either deliberate on the part of the girls or just accidental stuff that happens, the creep factor simply isn't there. Kill La Kill is incredibly creepy in its opening episodes, and I'm simply not interested enough to try to push past that.

As for an anime with a strong female protagonist, I'm surprised we've gotten this far in without Slayers being mentioned. Lina Inverse is a very strong female lead and the series is absolutely classic, especially Slayers NEXT.

[danzibr]

So nobody's brought up Soul Eater yet. That's my to go recommendation for this topic.
Oh yeah. I liked Soul Eater.

[BiblioRook]

As for an anime with a strong female protagonist, I'm surprised we've gotten this far in without Slayers being mentioned. Lina Inverse is a very strong female lead and the series is absolutely classic, especially Slayers NEXT.

Admittedly it's been quite a while since I thought of Slayers, but I certainly remember liking it. In that vein of oldies but on the sci-fi side of things, what about Tenchi Muyo and Outlaw Star? While the main main character in both is certainly male, many if not most of the major characters beside him are female. Also maybe Ranma 1/2, but that probably only half counts.

[Nerd-o-rama]

It's tough to get this without questionable fanservice, sadly. Of things that haven't been mentioned, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a classic film and in fact most Studio Ghibli films are female-led or have an equal two-gender pair for the leads. Dirty Pair is an older series with incredibly fanservicey marketing but a lot less of it in the actual show. Dai-Guard (the TV series) is an amazingly hilarious mecha genre parody with a female protagonist and none of the gender politics problems that usually plague even good instances of that genre.

[Lethologica]

Some of my favorites have been mentioned already--Ghost in the Shell, Madoka Magica, Serial Experiments: Lain, FLCL, Miyazaki. (For Miyazaki, I would single out Nausicaa, Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Totoro.)

Here are some that haven't come up yet.

Movies/OVAs:
-Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika. Everything Satoshi Kon directed is excellent, but these are his movies that best fulfill the criterion.
-Wolf Children. Both mother and daughter count in this emotional rollercoaster.
-Princess Kaguya. Strong-willed lead, achingly beautiful story.
-Little Witch Academia. Pretty much everyone's a girl, full of fun and joy.

TV Shows:
-Haibane Renmei. Grey-winged angels born into a gentle town surrounded by high walls. Surreal, dramatic, powerful.
-Spice and Wolf. Part romance, part fantasy, part medieval economics, and much more entertaining than that lede makes it sound.
-Kino no Tabi. The travelogue of a girl who never stays more than three days in one city, armed with her wits, her pistols, and her trusty talking motorcycle.
-Baccano! has several strong and engaging female characters--in an anime where it's hard to call anyone the protagonist, that's good enough for the criterion. A wild Roaring Twenties romp that simply exudes style (but mind the violence).

This is most of my 'best anime I've ever watched' list, as it happens.

Some other shows that I haven't watched yet, but may be good recommendations that fulfill the criterion, include Uchouten Kazoku, Shinsekai Yori, Voices of a Distant Star, and Escaflowne. If someone can weigh in on those, I'd much appreciate it.

[Draconi Redfir]

Eureka 7 is pretty good in my opinion. The titular character isn't exactly the /main/ focus of the story, but she is the driving force behind it and shares a prominent amount of screen time, a main character definitely.

Pros:
Eureka has mysterious backstory
Owns a giant mecha, first of it's kind.
Holds many secrets that change the story
Mother of three
lots of character growth, major personality shifts marked by changes in hair style
entire series is named after her.

Cons:
Frequent headaches among other things may indicate she's more "frail" then strong.
Sometimes dependant on older male father-figure
Love interest to main character Renton (it's basically a giant love story between the two.)
Eventually becomes the co-pilot to the mech she piloted solo before the series began.
Multiple emotional breakdowns / outbursts.

Not entirely sure if this defines her as "strong" or not, but I’d definitely recommend giving it a look. If you don't like it by episode 10 or so then it's not for you. Of course, it's impossible to describe a story by just explaining one character, so I’ll highly recommend that you at least give it a look.

[endoperez]

On the other hand, Konosuba has a similar vein of humor (the party warrior being a masochist, for starters...), but as the fanservice is all either deliberate on the part of the girls or just accidental stuff that happens, the creep factor simply isn't there.

I disagree with Konosuba. The fanservice is very on-the-face and deliberate on the show creators' part. What the characters think about the fanservice is irrelevant since it exists in the show, and much of what the show has is creepy. The protagonist has a skill that steals underwear from nearby women. There's an episode about sex dreams where the protagonist assaults / tries to assault someone thinking it's just a dream. Plus there's just so much fanservice over all - I liked the fantasy setting, the incredibly over-powered magic + the amazing visuals, and some of the jokes were genuinely super funny, but I would've preferred it without the fanservice.

Slayers, on the other hand, is excellent, and it's kinda what Konosuba might've been if it skipped the fanservice and was made a few decades earlier. It's a bit old, but the characters have character, and the main protagonist Lina is incredible. She's basically the opposite of the stereotypical nice, gentle and kind support/healer white mage - a hot-headed loudmouth, "accidentally" destroying villages/towns/cities with explosions, favors overly aggressive tactics etc.

[Hiro Protagonest]

What the characters think about the fanservice is irrelevant since it exists in the show,

I disagree. Regardless of how this applies to Konosuba itself, I can accept fanservice when a believable character chooses to have it. This is the difference between Bayonetta and some male-wish-fulfillment, though in Bayonetta I'm still at odds with the camera angles.

[gordonpyette]

Some of these the main protagonist is male, but the female protagonists play big parts too. There's also male and female protagonists together, and some of them are just female though. It's hard finding anime with a female protagonist!

[tomandtish]

Okay, do you mean strong as in literally strong, kicking ass, or as having strong motivations and generally being a good character? Either way the answer is: more than you can shake a stick at.

Seirei no Moribito - a badass female warrior has a very important but deadly mission of escorting a young prince. Once again I didn't watch this one but I really want to as I heard good things.


Definitely worth watching!



Girls und Panzer is a sports anime of high school girls driving WWII era tanks in　戦車道 - the way of the tank. Oh, and high schools are on aircraft carriers, kind of a long story. Features an all-female cast and despite its rather strange premise, it is actually a brilliant show on many levels.

Agreed. The premise is ... interesting, but if you accept it, the show is great fun with excellent characters.


Hellsing Ultimate. Yeah the MAIN character is Alucard, but he has Seras Victoria as his spunky sidekick and we get to see her character develop (Not that way, its fairly obvious she did plenty of that before the series started) into accepting that she is a kickass vampire with massive guns in every sense of the word. :smallbiggrin: And there is also Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who, despite the title, is very much so a lady who ran out of damns to give a long time ago. She is relentlessly badass for being a relatively normal human in a world with superpowered undead and such. She is also the boss of the hellsing organization and gives Alucard orders on who to kill. Surrounded by a squad of nazi vampires armed with machine guns, she decapitates one with her sword and challenges the rest to give it a go.

Very much seconded.


I'll add Serial Experiments: Lain and Psycho-Pass to the list.

Yes and yes.

I'll also recommend Akuma no Riddle (http://shop.funimation.com/The-Complete-Series-Limited-Edition_25) (Riddle Story of Devil).

[Friv]

Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena/少女革命ウテナ/Revolutionary Girl Utena) is a very interesting and fairly solid work on many rather deep themes (not to mention with a bit of David Lynch-like "what the hell" thrown in), though certainly not without its flaws.

Holy crap, how did I forget to also recommend Utena?

I actually consider Utena to be one of the best anime ever made. It's gorgeous, it's thoughtful, the characters are brilliant and the themes are wonderful. It is also a bit of a mind-whammy at times, and it eases you into some very dark places at just the right speed.

[Foeofthelance]

Gunsmith Cats also comes to mind. Young woman runs a gun show in Chicago while working part time as a bounty hunter, which has her and her allies often butting heads with the Mob. The author tries to actually keep it relatively grounded in reality, so while there are trick shots and fast cars, you don't really get the Super Flashy Really a Ninja Technique style of combat.

[Velaryon]

I came into this thread to mention Moribito, but I see it's been listed three or four times now. It's a bit slow-paced for my tastes, but Balsa is definitely strong in every sense of the word. She's basically the poster girl for what OP is looking for.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works is a good one too. I mean, Saber is in all of the Fate series AFAIK, but Unlimited Blade Works also has Rin as a co-protagonist, and she's as tough as they come.

For a more comedic anime, I have to bring up Ramen Fighter Miki. Miki isn't very smart, but she's definitely strong not only physically, but in willpower as well. Plus seeing her get into constant scraps even when she's trying not to is just hilarious.

My memory of Claymore is a bit hazy, but since they're all basically female knights with magical powers, surely it qualifies?


-Baccano! has several strong and engaging female characters--in an anime where it's hard to call anyone the protagonist, that's good enough for the criterion. A wild Roaring Twenties romp that simply exudes style (but mind the violence).

If Baccano! counts, then Durarara!! probably should as well, because it's also an ensemble cast. And Celty Sturluson is definitely a strong female character, even if she's not human.

[endoperez]

I disagree. Regardless of how this applies to Konosuba itself, I can accept fanservice when a believable character chooses to have it. This is the difference between Bayonetta and some male-wish-fulfillment, though in Bayonetta I'm still at odds with the camera angles.

It might not be possible to generalize, but in Konosuba, it's as if the characters (or perhaps the whole show?) were designed around fanservice. And something like half the episodes, too? The show had some fantastic scenes that really made me laugh / think magic explosions are awesome, but there was way more fanservice than there were memorable non-fanservice scenes.

[Kato]

Kill la Kill is always a controversial subject... I'd still definitely add it to the list.

Also, some people will shoot me for it because it's not actually anime but: both Avatar series. Mostly.

Many others were already mentioned... I might add Yuri kuma arashi but it's debatable in quality.
Something I haven't seen yet and might be interesting is akame ga kill.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Also, some people will shoot me for it because it's not actually anime but: both Avatar series. Mostly.

Sure, start recommending western cartoons. Just let it all go to the dogs! Steven Universe

But there are writing conventions stemming from a combination of Japanese culture and the anime industry that Avatar does not necessarily possess, and vice-versa.

[gomipile]

But there are writing conventions stemming from a combination of Japanese culture and the anime industry that Avatar does not necessarily possess, and vice-versa.

There are Japanese anime which don't follow the narrative conventions of Japanese culture or the anime industry.

[Arcane_Snowman]

Well, there's quite a bit to chose from depending on what you want from the female characters:

If you're just after female characters, then both Azumanga Daioh and Nichijou are excellent comedies which feature all female casts. Serial Experiment Lain doesn't have an ass-kicking protagonist as such, being a very mind-bending series, but it's absolutely amazing.

For anime where the females kick ass and are a strong focus of the narrative then Puella Madoka Magica and Mai Hime both get my vote, although from a pure rating standpoint other things in the Magical Girl genre also has you covered (but I haven't really watched that much in it so I can't make a personal recommendation beyond those two).

Black Lagoon consistently rates pretty high when it comes to recommendations, but I haven't seen it (merely read some of the manga) so I can't comment as to the competency of the translation into Anime, but it's more or less a law of that series that if a given character is a woman they're a bad ass.

If you just want ass kicking females and don't mind the focus being on another character(s), then Baccano! and Durarara!!, Ergo Proxy (to some extent), FLCL, and Fate/Zero* (though this probably has the least amount of females of importance of all the recommendations here) are also strong contenders.

A good deal of the Studio Ghibli movies have a focus on female characters, they're not always ass kickers though.

*Technically there's Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Bladeworks as well, both of which precede the Fate/Zero in terms of when they were made and they both have strong female characters, but I wouldn't recommend them primarily because the former is a mess and the latter is made for the fans of the visual novel with little regard for narrative coherence for those who are not.

[Officer Joy]

Kill la Kill is always a controversial subject... I'd still definitely add it to the list.

Why would you suggest a show the OP already tried, and really didn't like? It just taints the rest of your sugestions.

[kjelfalconer]

Kill la Kill is always a controversial subject... I'd still definitely add it to the list.

From my own experience as someone who watched all of Kill la kill and in general finds fanservice irritating at best, the fanservice in Kill la kill was so blatant and in your face that it felt almost like a parody of fanservice than actual fanservice. If that makes any sense at all to anyone other than me. Obviously as a recommendation its already fallen flat, so that isn't what I'd recommend.

What I'd recommend is Noragami. While Yato shares the spotlight, Hiyori is definitely a contender for this thread.

[Traab]

From my own experience as someone who watched all of Kill la kill and in general finds fanservice irritating at best, the fanservice in Kill la kill was so blatant and in your face that it felt almost like a parody of fanservice than actual fanservice. If that makes any sense at all to anyone other than me. Obviously as a recommendation its already fallen flat, so that isn't what I'd recommend.

What I'd recommend is Noragami. While Yato shares the spotlight, Hiyori is definitely a contender for this thread.

For the whole, "So in your face its almost a parody" of fanservice I love high school of the dead. Its a zombie apocalypse story and yet you see more panties than you do zombies (there are a lot of zombies) The camera is jammed at male gaze level, and breasts are spring loaded and sentient, as they are constantly trying to bounce free of the girl holding them captive. Though I dont think it was meant as a parody, from what i recall the guy who made the anime is more known for his ecchi and porntastic anime/manga. So its probably just what he was used to doing, even though the mix between so much fanservice your monitor releases a constant breeze and desperate and grim struggle for survival among zombies that are trying to tear you into very bloody heaps is incredibly jarring. Its still an amusing anime, if you like survival horror and boobs.

[Kato]

Why would you suggest a show the OP already tried, and really didn't like? It just taints the rest of your sugestions.

Because OP was asking what good anime with female mains are, not what I'd recommend them to watch. I think KlK is one of those.
(also, because I missed their reply :smalltongue:)

[Rysto]

I feel compelled to mention Twin Star Exorcists. It is a very typical shonen battle series, and for that reason I don't recommend it all that much as I find the standard shonen tropes to be pretty boring. However I feel that it's notable for being a shonen series that's not afraid to put its female characters on the same level as its male characters. For example, early in the series, a prophecy is made that says that the male and female co-leads have the potential to one day do something of vast importance (I'm being intentionally vague here to try and avoid spoilers). When it's suggested that the leads should stop risking their lives in battle because what they accomplish by fighting pales in comparison to what it's prophesized they could do, it's the female lead who responds that she didn't become an exorcist to play house, and that if she turned away from the path she was on the shame would eat her alive. She's not a token Action Girl in an otherwise all-male cast, either. There are a number of other female exorcists that are woven into the background.

The series isn't perfect in its respect for its female characters -- there's a big-breasted supporting character and the male lead faceplants into her chest on a couple occasions, for example -- but overall it's quite good about it. My biggest complaints about the series, as I've mentioned, are its use of standard, boring shonen tropes. Beam-o-wars, "my power level is greater than yours", and characters who No Sell gigantic explosions just don't interest me.

[Lethologica]

Round 2? Round 2.

Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai is historical fiction about one of Hokusai's daughters, Katsushika Ooi, or O-ei, who assisted Hokusai and was a noted artist in her own right.

Someone mentioned Your Lie in April, so I should probably mention White Album 2 and Hibike! Euphonium, which are also well-regarded music anime with prominent female characters.

Dennou Coil: a coming-of-age story wrapped in augmented-reality shenanigans. Very creative, very enjoyable, plenty of strong female characters in the ensemble cast.

Ergo Proxy: in a world largely become dystopian wasteland, small pockets of high-tech civilization come into conflict when mysterious robot murders and mythical beings called Proxy intersect.

Otogizoushi: a Heian-era woman has to conceal herself as a man to go on a quest to find a legendary gem and save the world. Fair warning: halfway through, it completely changes, so you may only like one half or the other of the show.

Twelve Kingdoms pitches an ordinary schoolgirl headlong into an unfamiliar and unforgiving fantasy world. Fits the request particularly well as she grows into her strength over the course of the series.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices...well, it's Makoto Shinkai trying to be Miyazaki and doing a decent job of it. I can't say fairer than that.

Sakasama no Patema has two populations who experience gravity in reverse: an underground people taught to fear falling into the sky, and a surface people taught never to look up at the sky. Bit of a cheesy plot, but the concept is great and the creators aren't afraid to play with it.


For the whole, "So in your face its almost a parody" of fanservice I love high school of the dead. Its a zombie apocalypse story and yet you see more panties than you do zombies (there are a lot of zombies) The camera is jammed at male gaze level, and breasts are spring loaded and sentient, as they are constantly trying to bounce free of the girl holding them captive. Though I dont think it was meant as a parody, from what i recall the guy who made the anime is more known for his ecchi and porntastic anime/manga. So its probably just what he was used to doing, even though the mix between so much fanservice your monitor releases a constant breeze and desperate and grim struggle for survival among zombies that are trying to tear you into very bloody heaps is incredibly jarring. Its still an amusing anime, if you like survival horror and boobs.
Okay, but in this thread HSotD is a parody of a recommendation.

[BiblioRook]

'Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?' probably would suffice for this thread. It in itself isn't that special but I still really enjoyed it. Basically people are in trouble and try to summon heroes but get these three kids instead. I put it that way but the main characters can actually really kick-ass what with their own individual talents and powers even before any fantasy 'upgrades' they eventually get throughout the series. Anyways, 3 out of 4 of the main characters are female. While the lone boy does kind of steal the spotlight from time to time it's not really put in a way as if only he is the real main character as much as part of the three as a whole. Also I just love the opening and ending songs for this show.

[Prime32]

While the lone boy does kind of steal the spotlight from time to time it's not really put in a way as if only he is the real main character as much as part of the three as a whole.What I thought was interesting was that while clearly overpowered compared to the other members of his team, he's also the least versatile (no special sensory or movement abilities, no attacks other than punching things, etc.) and has limited stamina. Given that the contests are often time-sensitive or spread across multiple locations at once, his power is not an automatic win-button and they have to be careful about how he's deployed. He's their tactical nuke, basically.

[lord_khaine]

From my own experience as someone who watched all of Kill la kill and in general finds fanservice irritating at best, the fanservice in Kill la kill was so blatant and in your face that it felt almost like a parody of fanservice than actual fanservice. If that makes any sense at all to anyone other than me. Obviously as a recommendation its already fallen flat, so that isn't what I'd recommend.

That was actually my take on it as well, the fanservice felt more like a parody or a lampshade than anything else.

[HMS Invincible]

That was actually my take on it as well, the fanservice felt more like a parody or a lampshade than anything else.

If they consider that parody, then I'm surprised nobody has said " panty and stocking" as a recommendation. All the parody and stupid of highschool of the dead, just as little plot.

[Zalabim]

If they consider that parody, then I'm surprised nobody has said " panty and stocking" as a recommendation. All the parody and stupid of highschool of the dead, just as little plot.

Panty and Stocking is clearly a parody though. It has way more parody and stupid than Highschool of the Dead. Considering its default art style, it also probably hits less fanservice too. The plot is filled with stupid and parody too, so I don't know if I'd call it more or less plot. I wouldn't make it a recommendation for the purpose of this thread, but the show hits its questionable target very well.

Given that, the "maybe it's parody" was about Kill la Kill, which has shining nipples (among other things), so I'm certain the nudity was intended as parody, or at least humor, at some point.

[Ursus the Grim]

Given that, the "maybe it's parody" was about Kill la Kill, which has shining nipples (among other things), so I'm certain the nudity was intended as parody, or at least humor, at some point.

What gave you that impression? (Safety For Work is Dubious, obviously) (https://animefangirlreviews.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/kill-la-kill-16-img-2.png)



That was actually my take on it as well, the fanservice felt more like a parody or a lampshade than anything else.

I'm of the same opinion. It helps that they pull back on the fanservice a bit later on as the joke is running thin. And its still a relevant topic if OP didn't like it (which s/he is entitled to) because others might find this thread and benefit from recommendations.


I didn't really see the clothing scene as a blatant rape scene. That said, clothing is represented as a form of oppression, multiple times. The protagonist is stuck wearing something she doesn't particularly like because she's uncomfortable with who she is and how society sees her.

Later on, as she gains more confidence in herself and is less ashamed of her body (and what teenage person has never felt ashamed of their body?) she enters into more of a partnership with her outfit and becomes quite the force to be reckoned with. She walks the line between the madness of Nudist Beach and the oppression of fashion.

FLCL, while a favorite of mine, is kind of tough to recommend. Haruko is not a good person and I'd be hesitant to recommend her as a strong female protagonist when she manipulates a kid for devious and selfish ends.

Your Lie in April is good. It just is. Predictable, but the characterization is fantastic.

Eureka 7, while also good, really throws Eureka into pretty standard gender roles. She's a fantastic pilot with super powers, but she gets saddled with certain squalling responsibilities and is often presented as a damsel-in-distress. While the former is certainly a new thing in anime, I don't necessarily like how happy she is. But I also just don't like kids. :smallsigh:

[Nerd-o-rama]

I feel obliged to anti-rec Fate/Zero, sorry. Saber is a great character and its narrative wastes her completely in favor of other peoples' manpain. Other otherwise interesting women are similarly sacrificed, to the point where I think the only woman who doesn't primarily exist as a vessel for a man's angst is young Rin, who is pretty much a one episode cameo. Add to the fact that unlike F/SN the Grail War is pretty much a sausagefest and...let's just call Madoka a demographic counterbalance and leave it at that.

That said I think one could watch the UBW anime with Fate/Zero or just pop culture osmosis as prior knowledge and find it enjoyable, and that does very well with focusing on Rin as a co-protagonist with Shirou. Saber gets less attention, but unlike in F/Z she has a character arc with some form of resolution.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Everything else I would mention has been, so I'm left with Crest of the Stars, which is short (two discs in my set) but has plenty of good moments. There's a sequel, but I've never seen it.

[KillingAScarab]

(For Miyazaki, I would single out ...Mononoke...)
...
Some other shows that I haven't watched yet, but may be good recommendations that fulfill the criterion, include... Escaflowne. If someone can weigh in on those, I'd much appreciate it.I'm surprised I'm only seconding Princess Mononoke. While the initial main character is male (Ashiitaka), a large portion of the conflict is between San (the title character) and Lady Eboshi. San wants to kill Lady Eboshi and Lady Eboshi wants to kill a deity. Ashiitaka and San team up to prevent that from happening. That should meet the criteria.

Regarding Escaflowne, you have The Vision of Escaflowne, which was the televised series, and the movie which was titled Escaflowne or Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea. For the series, take one magical schoolgirl, drop her into a war against an expansionist empire fought using piloted robots powered by the same material her heirloom pendant is made of, and then entangle her in a love triangle. For the movie, it is much the same premise, but the love triangle and political machinations are removed and more focus is given to Hitomi and Van growing into their respective responsibilities and/or being angsty teenagers. My favorite presentation, however, is hbi2k's abridged series (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL351914B9967572B5). It has been awhile since I watched these, but I don't think Hitomi has a great deal of control in the movie's plot (though both sides of the war court her for her powers), and I think I enjoy the character more in the abridged series because she gets to point out the show's faults.

ETA: I just watched the movie again. I think I'm going to have to disagree with my earlier assessment that the characters became more responsible by the end of the movie, just more aware. The angsty teenager part was accurate, and Hitomi is mostly a fantasy world tourist. There was also, like, five times as much blood spurting out of people and mechs as in the entire series, even though the series has a war in it. People on that version of Gaea are juicy.


Everything else I would mention has been, so I'm left with Crest of the Stars, which is short (two discs in my set) but has plenty of good moments. There's a sequel, but I've never seen it.I wasn't able to get into Crest of the Stars, on account of, "space-elves know what's best for everyone."

[Ceiling_Squid]

EDIT: Oh yeah, Ghibli films! I'm personally partial to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ), but many of them are brilliant and they often feature female protagonists.

I realize OP is looking for anime, but the manga is, in my humble opinion, required reading after the film.

If you like the film, OP, please seek out the manga!! It is a vastly expanded story (the film is really a heavily-modified version of the first two of seven volumes), and one of the best works of post-apocalyptic sequential art out there. I also cannot stress how excellent a lead character Nausicaa is.

[gomipile]

I wasn't able to get into Crest of the Stars, on account of, "space-elves know what's best for everyone."

I know several people who have essentialy that complaint about Crest/Banner of the Stars. I disagree, but my points are mostly not in the early episodes.

All I can say that appears early on is that some of the planet dwelling governments are very realistically written in that they don't know/do what's good for anyone.

[Ceiling_Squid]

I know several people who have essentialy that complaint about Crest/Banner of the Stars. I disagree, but my points are mostly not in the early episodes.

All I can say that appears early on is that some of the planet dwelling governments are very realistically written in that they don't know/do what's good for anyone.

Well, "realism" aside, I think people rankle at the idea that space elves would know any better than these realistically-flawed governments. I prefer my aliens more fallible.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Except they aren't 'elves'. They're genetically engineered humans with modifications to make them better suited to a life in space.

edit: and their attitudes are more dwarf than leaf kisser.

[gomipile]

Well, "realism" aside, I think people rankle at the idea that space elves would know any better than these realistically-flawed governments. I prefer my aliens more fallible.


It is revealed (I don't remember where) in the series that the Abh aren't aliens. And their cultural history gives them good reason for thinking the way they do.

[ThinkMinty]

Kill La Kill was pretty cool. It's the future, clothes are evil, and it's dystopian without being boring or dreary about it. Plus the whole thing is oozing with homoerotic subtext and whatnot.

The protagonist, Ryuko, is a brash, hot-headed delinquent chick who just kicks all of the ass. She's really fun.


Regarding Escaflowne, you have The Vision of Escaflowne, which was the televised series, and the movie which was titled Escaflowne or Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea. For the series, take one magical schoolgirl, drop her into a war against an expansionist empire fought using piloted robots powered by the same material her heirloom pendant is made of, and then entangle her in a love triangle. For the movie, it is much the same premise, but the love triangle and political machinations are removed and more focus is given to Hitomi and Van growing into their respective responsibilities and/or being angsty teenagers. My favorite presentation, however, is hbi2k's abridged series (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL351914B9967572B5). It has been awhile since I watched these, but I don't think Hitomi has a great deal of control in the movie's plot (though both sides of the war court her for her powers), and I think I enjoy the character more in the abridged series because she gets to point out the show's faults.

The abridged series is all I know of Escaflowne; it's pretty fun, though. Incestuous bisexual ninja catgirls, incestuous bisexual ninja catgirls...that is a catchy little charmer of a joke.

[KillingAScarab]

The abridged series is all I know of Escaflowne; it's pretty fun, though. Incestuous bisexual ninja catgirls, incestuous bisexual ninja catgirls...that is a catchy little charmer of a joke.For Hitomi, I think her best jokes involved teaching Van to angst and PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE COMBAT.

Hm. You know, the brief portions of the series where Hitomi is a damsel in distress do take something away from her qualifications for this topic. I mean, she's the captive of what the abridged series calls "the gecko ninjas" and "the snake guy," as well as one of the "incestuous bisexual ninjas catgirls" while she has magical cancer.

[GloatingSwine]

Kill La Kill was pretty cool. It's the future, clothes are evil, and it's dystopian without being boring or dreary about it. Plus the whole thing is oozing with homoerotic subtext and whatnot.

The point isn't really that clothes are evil, but that being body positive and confident in your own body no matter what you look like is good.

[ThinkMinty]

For Hitomi, I think her best jokes involved teaching Van to angst and PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE COMBAT.

Hm. You know, the brief portions of the series where Hitomi is a damsel in distress do take something away from her qualifications for this topic. I mean, she's the captive of what the abridged series calls "the gecko ninjas" and "the snake guy," as well as one of the "incestuous bisexual ninjas catgirls" while she has magical cancer.

I don't mark points off a female protagonist for getting captured, personally. It's not her fault for getting captured, so it's kinda victim-blamey to blame her for it.


The point isn't really that clothes are evil, but that being body positive and confident in your own body no matter what you look like is good.

The point is what you said, but the byline for that series is the evil clothes thing.

[KillingAScarab]

I don't mark points off a female protagonist for getting captured, personally. It's not her fault for getting captured, so it's kinda victim-blamey to blame her for it.She is not allowed to do anything to enable her rescue or to rescue herself, as I recall. The same can be said for Van, but at least he was being held by Folken, who comes off as a significantly more competent antagonist.

[BiblioRook]

Hm. You know, the brief portions of the series where Hitomi is a damsel in distress do take something away from her qualifications for this topic.

Being a 'strong' character usually has very little to do with actual physical strength but rather development, so being a damsel in distress shouldn't automatically make someone lose points unless being a damsel in distress is basically all that person ever is.

[ThinkMinty]

She is not allowed to do anything to enable her rescue or to rescue herself, as I recall. The same can be said for Van, but at least he was being held by Folken, who comes off as a significantly more competent antagonist.

This kind of "rescue yourself or you're useless" stuff winds up creatin' unrealistic expectations tho

[BiblioRook]

Princess Leia comes to mind. She had to be rescued and never came off feeling like being a 'weaker' character because of it.

Fun fact: Most prisons are specifically designed to be inescapable by the person inside.

[ThinkMinty]

Fun fact: Most prisons are specifically designed to be inescapable by the person inside.

Isn't that the point of prisons?

[KillingAScarab]

Being a 'strong' character usually has very little to do with actual physical strength but rather development, so being a damsel in distress shouldn't automatically make someone lose points unless being a damsel in distress is basically all that person ever is.I didn't intend to convey that this disqualifies her. She's still fairly new to Gaea, and had already helped Allen locate Van when that rescue occurred. All three of them are also captured later, but I think Hitomi comes up with the idea of how to escape using Van's link to Escaflowne. But, those first two bits of her captivity do come very close together, and the villains were only memorably lame.

[Rysto]

Princess Leia comes to mind. She had to be rescued and never came off feeling like being a 'weaker' character because of it.

Yeah, but as soon as Han and Luke had her out of her prison, she'd grabbed Luke's blaster away from him and blasted them an escape route. That's the type of thing that makes her a strong character: rather than passively following her rescuers, she took charge when it was needed.

And even when she was imprisoned, she was actively resisting the Empire with all that she had, refusing to succumb to the mind probe and giving a false location of the rebel base when blackmailed by Tarkin.

[BiblioRook]

Isn't that the point of prisons?

Sorry, should I have put that in blue text or something?