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Old 2012-12-05, 16:40   Link #1
jabberfish
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Anime with strong female protagonist

I just finished blood+ and am looking for a new anime that has a strong/bad-ass female protagonist. To be honest I didn't really enjoy blood+ because of Saya and most of the other protagonists, but I liked Diva and her chevaliers. Saya seemed to spend most of the anime dealing with emotions and being carried by her friends and family which isn't what I'm looking for.

I want someone like Yoruichi from Bleach, Revi from Black Lagoon, Terresa from Claymore, or Lucy from Elfen Lied. Someone who doesn't get weighed down by emotions and just kicks ass, preferably in a smug/non-personal way. The type of anime isn't too important as long as the character in question meets those qualifications, but I tend to prefer action. I'd appreciate any recommendations.
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Old 2012-12-05, 16:52   Link #2
DanielMors
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You might want to give Jormungand a shot. It's an action show about a female arms dealer.
Koko is extremely ruthless, and has no problems to do whatever needs to be done in order to reach her goals. She herself rarely applies force, but rather orders her comrades to do so. I'd say, she is more on the intellectual side of badass.
There are also quite a few badass women using violence, but those are supporting characters.
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Old 2012-12-05, 17:15   Link #3
kitten320
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If you don't mind ongoing shounen, then Erza from Fairy Tail will fit well. She does have a sad and emotional arc but for most part she is kicking asses with firm face.

Another ongoing series would be Magi. Morgiana is a monster of a female who is very strong. She does care for things but it does not stop her from being cool.

Kanade from Angel Beats. She owns everyone with expressionless face.

Not the best series in the world but Jo from Bakuretsu Tenshi could be to your liking.

Bamboo Blade is a sport anime about kendo. It has lots of female characters, my favorite one is Miyako. She is not mega strong but her dark personality is a massive win and eventually she does get better. though she has a weird boyfriend... But there is also Tamaki^^

Saber from Fate series. Well in F/SN she gets destroyed by dumb Shirou but in prequel Fate/Zero she is cool.

Yomi from Ga-Rei Zero. She is one of the most memorable anime characters. She totally owns the show.

Homura from Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is a bad-ass. Main heroine is Madoka but Homura plays important role in the story.

Natsuki from Mai HiME is one of my fave charas who is not main but does appear a lot.

Yuno from Mirai Nikki. Didn't really like her because of dumb obsession with pathetic Yuki. But if you want someone to go nuts, she is a perfect material of a killing machine.
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Old 2012-12-05, 17:21   Link #4
SeijiSensei
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If you're willing to be a bit more open-minded about the protagonist's character, I'll suggest Seirei no Moribito. Balsa is the strongest female character I know of in anime and not just because of her biceps.

You might find Rin in Mnemosyne more to your liking though the overall anime isn't half as good as Moribito. Another possibility might be Mine Fujiko in the new series based on the Lupin III franchise.
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Old 2012-12-05, 17:44   Link #5
jabberfish
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A lot of great suggestions so far so thank you for that. I think I misused the word "protagonist". I don't mind the character in question not being the main character, so long as she appears often enough. Yoruichi/Terresa probably aren't the best example of that, but I liked the cast of their respective animes enough to enjoy it.

Also when I said "non-personal", I didn't mean that she doesn't handle things herself, just that she doesn't let emotion drive her to do things. She also doesn't have to be completely shut off emotionally all the time. Just the ability to be cold, ruthless, and efficient when necessary are some of the traits that I'm looking for, which a lot of the recommendations seem to feature.

I've already seen Mnemosyne and it was pretty good. Thanks again for your recommendations, I'll start looking into them tonight.
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Old 2012-12-05, 22:22   Link #6
Darthtabby
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Something like "Ruthless Action Girl Protagonist" might be a better title for this thread than the more general "Strong Female Protagonist." There are a lot of strong female protagonists who are neither ruthless nor action girl types.

I absolutely love Mai-HiME (it's one of my all time favorite anime series), but I'm reluctant to second kitten320's recommendation for the show because the main girl, Mai Tokiha, is most definitely not a ruthless action girl type, and the story focuses a lot on her emotions. Granted the action girl character that prompted kitten320 to make the recommendation in the first place is probably the second most focused on character in the show after Mai, but she still gets less screentime than Mai and I don't think you can fully appreciate that show if you can't appreciate Mai and what she's going through emotionally over the course of the show.

One show with an action girl lead that has absolutely awesome action scenes is Canaan. The main protagonist of that show is sort of an odd combination of innocent child and ruthless killing machine. Though I should warn you that one of said action girl's co-stars is a more ordinary girl who is a bit of an airhead and frequently needs said action girl to bail her out of trouble. :lol:

Despite being a bit over the top the series OP gives a decent idea of what you can expect from Canaan action wise. (I'm assuming since the video was posted by AnimeNetwork it should be okay to link to it.)
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Old 2012-12-05, 23:02   Link #7
Sackett
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Lafiel from Crest of the Stars would work
As would Homura from Madoka Magica
Chiaki from Bodacious Space Pirates
Yuno from Mirai Nikki
Yuki from Haruhi Suzumiya
Sen from Ben-To
Mitty from Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Rosette from Chrono Crusade is more emotional, but still fits in with what you want I think.

And of course, Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion
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Old 2012-12-05, 23:47   Link #8
judasmartel
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While I do love to see strong female characters (if only to prove misogynistic anime haters wrong), one problem I have with them is that they give me the wrong impression that it's necessary to abandon your femininity and act like a guy to become accepted by the fans. I don't know if the female empowerment campaign has something to do with it, so I can't tell.

Although I haven't watched much anime nowadays (given my extreme pickiness), I'm glad that I feel like it's waning lately, since I can now see strong female characters who are still decidedly and definitely feminine.

That's why my preferred strong female character is a Silk Hiding Steel type: deadliness hidden under graceful, feminine conduct.
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Old 2012-12-06, 00:58   Link #9
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Not sure whether you will like this (I don't) ==> Medaka Box. It is in fact revolved around an ass-kicking woman, Medaka.
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Old 2012-12-06, 01:19   Link #10
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I heard about Medaka being overpowered in her story's universe, but does she act feminine, may I ask?
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Old 2012-12-06, 01:32   Link #11
Vexx
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yeah, Seirei no Moribito in spades....

There's also an older little series that has some of the best *realistic* swordplay I've ever seen put to anime (not the fantasy moves). Its a collections of tales in a retelling of the old classic "ronin" stories of the Edo Period. Ran is a sake-loving ronin who goes "wherever the wind takes her".

Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran
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Old 2012-12-06, 03:38   Link #12
Last Sinner
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I'm wondering what the OP meant by 'strong'. Are they referring mainly to the physical aspect, because every character listed there fits that definition. Also the absence of emotion point made me wonder. I don't think it's clear whether the OP wants strength mainly in a physical, action-based way or if other forms are acceptable. If they could clarify that, I could give some suggestions.
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Old 2012-12-06, 03:58   Link #13
Kotohono
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Quote:
Originally Posted by judasmartel View Post
I heard about Medaka being overpowered in her story's universe, but does she act feminine, may I ask?
She values cute, adores animals and flowers, so to some extend at least yes.
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Old 2012-12-06, 03:58   Link #14
judasmartel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Sinner View Post
I'm wondering what the OP meant by 'strong'. Are they referring mainly to the physical aspect, because every character listed there fits that definition. Also the absence of emotion point made me wonder. I don't think it's clear whether the OP wants strength mainly in a physical, action-based way or if other forms are acceptable. If they could clarify that, I could give some suggestions.
Hmmm... I think he meant a strong female character who doesn't dwell on her emotions as much as others he had seen. Because as they say, "emotion is only for the weak".

In other words, a female character who doesn't let her emotions get in the way of doing awesome things.
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Old 2012-12-06, 05:07   Link #15
Vexx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by judasmartel View Post
Hmmm... I think he meant a strong female character who doesn't dwell on her emotions as much as others he had seen. Because as they say, "emotion is only for the weak".
I think the clinical definition of that is a psychopath (male or female)
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Old 2012-12-06, 05:33   Link #16
Last Sinner
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If that's the case, then I'm surprised Ryougi Shiki from Garden of Sinners hasn't been mentioned yet. She certainly fits that description.

Other possibilities are Arcueid Brunestud from Shingetsutan Tsukihime and Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night, but those are cases where the original games did them justice and the adaptations did not.
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Old 2012-12-06, 12:54   Link #17
jabberfish
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Sinner View Post
I'm wondering what the OP meant by 'strong'. Are they referring mainly to the physical aspect, because every character listed there fits that definition. Also the absence of emotion point made me wonder. I don't think it's clear whether the OP wants strength mainly in a physical, action-based way or if other forms are acceptable. If they could clarify that, I could give some suggestions.
Yeah my bad. I didn't do a good job describing what I was looking for, but luckily you've all given me great recommendations despite that. I don't dislike emotions, in fact they tend to make for a more interesting character. It's just that I lose interest after several episodes of the character being essentially paralyzed by them and making next to no progress in dealing with them. That seems to be the case in a lot of anime that I've seen, such as Saya in Blood+. So if it's the choice between a Saya or a Revi then I'd choose Revi every time. Any anime that gets the whole female emotional conflict right though would certainly be worth looking into.

I've started watching Ga-Rei Zero and it's awesome. Yomi is just as cool as kitten320 said she was, but isn't dead emotionally. She's actually reminded me of another thing I like in female anime characters, and that is the older sister/younger sibling relationship.

Thanks again for all of your help, more suggestions are always welcome. Still not sure which of these I'll be watching after Ga-Rei Zero.
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Old 2012-12-06, 13:20   Link #18
Arturia Polaris
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Steins;Gate could fall into that category. Makise Kurisu is a smart prodigy and takes a very active role in the whole series.

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Old 2012-12-06, 14:03   Link #19
Flower
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei View Post
If you're willing to be a bit more open-minded about the protagonist's character, I'll suggest Seirei no Moribito. Balsa is the strongest female character I know of in anime and not just because of her biceps....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx View Post
yeah, Seirei no Moribito in spades....
I will third this one. The series is not my cup of tea, but Balsa is definitely a very strong female protagonist imo....
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Old 2012-12-06, 15:04   Link #20
SeijiSensei
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Originally Posted by Flower View Post
I will third this one. The series is not my cup of tea, but Balsa is definitely a very strong female protagonist imo....
So, in her own way, is Erin, but I don't think the OP is looking for shows like that.

While she's not the protagonist, Nina Fortner in Monster is a strong-minded and brave young woman. She's quite an admirable character in my book as well.
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