2012-12-05, 16:40 | Link #1 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
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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. |
2012-12-05, 16:52 | Link #2 |
Second Stake of Sloth
Join Date: Jun 2010
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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. |
2012-12-05, 17:15 | Link #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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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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2012-12-05, 17:21 | Link #4 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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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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2012-12-05, 17:44 | Link #5 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
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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. |
2012-12-05, 22:22 | Link #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
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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.) |
2012-12-05, 23:02 | Link #7 |
Cross Game - I need more
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma
Age: 44
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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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2012-12-05, 23:47 | Link #8 |
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines
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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. |
2012-12-06, 01:32 | Link #11 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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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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2012-12-06, 03:38 | Link #12 |
You're Hot, Cupcake
Join Date: Aug 2008
Age: 42
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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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2012-12-06, 03:58 | Link #14 | |
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Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines
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Quote:
In other words, a female character who doesn't let her emotions get in the way of doing awesome things. |
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2012-12-06, 05:33 | Link #16 |
You're Hot, Cupcake
Join Date: Aug 2008
Age: 42
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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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2012-12-06, 12:54 | Link #17 | |
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Quote:
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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2012-12-06, 14:03 | Link #19 | ||
Blooming on the mountain
Join Date: May 2010
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2012-12-06, 15:04 | Link #20 | |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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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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