Anime shows have some of the best female main characters in fiction. From series that were popular around the 80s to even the most modern shows. Some of these characters helped break stereotypes of always being the damsel in distress in need of rescue.
In the list below, we take a look at some of the best anime shows with female main characters.
Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)
Kicking off the list with arguably one of the most important female main characters in anime history. Not to undermine the source material where she originates from either. Ghost in the Shell is an all-time classic anime.
The most interesting part about her is that there are different versions of Motoko. But all of them are considered fan favorites. Mamoru Oshii’s version of the character in the legendary 1995 film is the one that gets the most praise.
Major Kusanagi is a fully prosthetic built cybernetic human who leads the Public Security Section 9. A team of highly skilled agents who are assigned for undercover tasks, notable for classified public security interests.
Revy (Black Lagoon)
Black Lagoon is another all-time classic anime with some of the best female characters. But one character for whom the show is praised the most is Revy, the main protagonist.
Her character tropes are something one won’t find in female characters, and especially not in main anime characters. Revy maintains a rude and loud personality with crass language to impose her authority.
She also has all the usual habits of shouting out racist slurs, mercilessly killing, and chain-smoking. These, along with her past experiences in a harsh upbringing backstory what make a part of Black Lagoon extremely interesting.
Matoi Ryuko (Kill la Kill)
At first glance, Matoi Ryuko might look like any popular female high schooler character design. But she could very well be one of the coolest high schoolers, giving other main characters a run for their money.
The sentiment is definitely elevated by Kill la Kill, the show itself as a whole. The anime drops our main characters in a dystopian fantasy high school setting. The student council exercises totalitarian authority, not just in the school, but also in the rest of the region.
Matoi Ryuko shows up amidst all of this to challenge the system, and the show doesn’t hand her victory. She actually fumbles several times, and she gets beaten up. But she also stands back up, continues her fight throughout the show. This is what makes her an amazing main character.
Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
Aside from being one of the best fantasy anime from recent years. Frieren has one of the best female main characters with the titular name. Not to mention, she is also one of the strongest and oldest characters in her own show.
It probably sounds like she is very overpowered for her own show. But the focus of this anime is not like other tropey fantasy anime, which rely on powerscaling.
Frieren is about the celebration of companionship and a long journey. Something no overpowered character can fulfill, and exploring it is what it’s all about. This makes Frieren going beyond her journey’s end so interesting.
Jolyne Kujo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean)
The Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure series is one of the longest running anime and also one of the most popular. But we are going to isolate only the sixth part in the franchise for our current discussion. Jolyne Kujo is one of the best female main characters in anime.
This was long overdue, since Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure started publishing way back in 1987. It took until the 2000s to have a female protagonist in the front lines. But the wait was absolutely worth it.
Jolyne Kujo is the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, one of the most hyped characters in the series. This gave her a lot to live up to, which she did.
Nana Osaki (Nana)
Nana is a fairly lesser-known anime among the popular shows. But it deserves a spot on this list for its stellar cast of colorful main characters. Especially one of the main female characters, Nana Osaki.
The show tells the story of two female characters with the same name, Nana. It delves into sensitive layers of love and relationships between the two female characters.
The anime does this with amazing punk rock and goth aesthetics in the backdrop, putting Nana Osaki in the center. She is the heart and soul of this anime and has some serious fashion statements, which makes fans flock to her.
Nana’s biggest crime currently is being an incomplete series. Something which fans have been holding out for far too long.
Lina Inverse (Slayers)
Anime fans these days won’t recognize Lina, but once upon a time, she was considered the queen of all anime. Lina Inverse is one of the best female main characters in an anime ever.
She is a powerful mage travelling with a band of adventurers in this beautiful fantasy anime called Slayers. If you are someone from the late 80s or 90s, then you probably are familiar with the show.
The inspirations behind Lina’s design come from the famous actress, Audrey Hepburn. According to several sources, she was created to be strong and independent to go out on adventures. Taking charge like knights in Western fantasies, which would be in contrast to Japanese female characters in media.
Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Sailor Moon is one of the most important anime franchises in history. It stands up there with legendary shows like Dragon Ball Z and helped popularize the craze around magical girl transformations.
Technically, Sailor Moon is a show completely filled with important female characters. But the most celebrated of all of them is definitely Sailor Moon, or Usagi Tsukino herself.
Usagi is a cultural icon for anime fans in the West. She helped change the perception towards female characters in anime by popularizing female superhero tropes. As usual, they were treated as damsels in distress.
Hitori Goto (Bocchi the Rock!)
Bocchi the Rock! is an anime about a bunch of high school girls trying to form their own band. Not something that hasn’t been approached before. One of the more famous shows to do this trope was K-On! But Bocchi the Rock! is definitely more endearing and relatable at the approach.
The show follows the female main character, Hitori Goto, at the center. She is an extremely introverted person who has a hard time making new friends. But she is also exceptionally talented at playing the guitar.
The story traces her journey as she learns to express her talents and make more friends. It is a celebration of overcoming challenges. At the end, Bocchi stands as one of the most socially relatable female characters.
Phosphophyllite (Land of the Lustrous)
Land of the Lustrous is one of the few shows out there that blends 3D art style with anime really well. Aside from the beautiful art style, the show has some really strong female main character representation.
The most fascinating thing about Land of the Lustrous is that the characters are based on real-life jewels. They have one job in this fantastical series, which is to defend themselves against the invasion of Lunarians.
Our main female character, Phosphophyllite, or ‘Phos’ for short, is the weakest gemstone of the lot. She is immature and incapable of a lot of things in battle. But what makes her an amazing character is that despite these shortcomings, she stands are ground in trying to prove herself.
Land of the Lustrous is a beautiful show about the perseverance of one of the most well-written female main characters.
Chisato Nishikigi (Lycoris Recoil)
Before we talk about what Lycoris Recoil is, we have to mention that the series is incredibly popular. Even among the likes of game developers such as Hideo Kojima, who has been seen wearing shirts with characters from the anime on them.
Lycoris Recoil is an original anime created by Spider Lily and Asura. The anime was produced by the well known, A-1 Pictures. It follows young women who undertake covert assassin operations to tackle terrorism in Tokyo.
This premise introduces us to one of the best female protagonists in an anime, Chisato Nishikigi. She gets paired up with Takina Inoue, bringing to the anime contrasting characteristics as well as world views.
Chisato is also exceptionally proficient in combat, being able to predict an enemy’s next move easily. This is a stark contrast to her cheerful demeanor as the face of Cafe LycoReco. It’s also why Chistao is one of the best characters in the whole series.
Momo Ayase (Dandadan)
Dandadan is one of the newest and best shounen shows that has been taking the anime fandom by storm. The main character is a high school boy who is interested in UAPs and extraterrestrial beings. Things led to him gaining the powers of a powerful yokai. He teams up with other powerful characters to take on otherworldly threats.
One of these powerful characters is also the most popular female character in the anime, who completely overshadows the main character. Momo Ayase is someone who doesn’t believe in aliens, but she is a strong believer in the supernatural.
What makes Momo stand out from all the other main characters is that she isn’t possessed by powerful spirits for power. Trained by her grandmother, Momo can stand her own ground using her hard learned psychic powers. This is also what sets her apart and makes her special. She definitely would’ve been the most overpowered character in the show if she had the powers of a yokai.
Gasai Yuno (Mirai Nikki)
Now, we in no way want to instigate that Gasai Yuno is an amazing female character as a role model figure. But she is simply one of the most insane female characters in anime. Also responsible for popularising the term ‘yandere’.
Gasai Yuno is an impressive character because of how overpowered she is. She is seen easily killing and taking down every enemy the main characters come across in the whole show. We should also mention that Gasai Yuno completely overshadows the main character, with whom she is madly in love with.
You should definitely want to check out Mirai Nikki if you love female characters who are crazy and can take charge of the show. Also, in general, if you like a show that has really compelling writing and story.
Haruko Haruhara (FLCL)
Before talking about Haruko and how awesome she is, we have to talk about FLCL as a show. IT is also called Furi Kuri in Japanese and is created by Kazuay Tsurumaki. FLCL is a surreal series with a lot of experimental ideas thrown at the drawing board, and it really worked out.
The character Haruko Haruhara is the main catalyst behind how awesome this show is. Because she is really one of the best female protagonists who completely embodies what the chaotic show stands for.
FLCL is a wonderful show made whole by its wacky characters and the setting. The culmination of minds coming together from amazing animation studios such as Production I.G. and Gianax.
Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain)
Lain has to be one of the most famous female characters, not just in anime but in all of popular media. Her fame extends to social media memes and the countless fanarts that are seen everywhere. Another reason why she is famous is also because of the opening song of the show where she appears.
Beyond the internet and modern media popularity sphere, Lain is beloved among the niche fans who actually watched the anime. Due to the series’s surreal way of exploring technology and human identity, the character of Lain resonates really well with fans.
If you are looking for a show that is out of the box, unlike any other show you have ever watched, then Serial Experiments Lain is the one you need to pick up.
Re-l Mayer (Ergo Proxy)
Ergo Proxy may be one show you have seen around a lot if you were terminally on the internet in mid 2000s. You probably saw the female protagonist Re-l being compared to a certain cover of a certain album.
Re-l’s role in the story follows her as an investigator for the Special Intelligence Bureau. We see her being strong and independent as a female character in the dystopian city of Romdeau.
Ergo Proxy, in general, is a cyberpunk action show focusing on complex aspects that might not be for everyone. Themes such as human consciousness and meta-narratives that explore the philosophy in a dystopian setting.
Alita (Battle Angel Alita)
The anime community collectively let out a hyped scream when everyone learned that famous movie director James Cameron was going to do a live-action adaptation of Battle Angel Alita. This is a really old cyberpunk manga, which also has an OVA, but not many people know about it.
But the fact that James Cameron read the original source material and found Alita’s character compelling enough to get the rights to make a movie is amazing. This says a lot about how Alita is one of the best female characters out there, and how she was elevated to mainstream popularity.
Battle Angel Alita is another cyberpunk show like many others on this list. It follows the story of a cyborg named Alita who was brought to life by Dr. Ido. Alita is lauded for having an immense amount of emotional depth as a character, even after being a machine.
