Anime can occasionally be faulted for its representation of females, but there has been plenty of talk about that. Instead, let’s focus on the brighter side of that representation by showing some series that represent female characters as strong protagonists who don’t necessarily need no man but can choose to have one if they’d like.

Ghost in the Shell

When you think of strong female anime characters, it is hard not to think of Motoko or compare other characters to her. As a cyborg with a long military career, she is fully equipped to hack, kick ass, and interrogate any one she needs to. Furthermore, although being a cyborg could explain away a need to involve her in relationships, throughout the series she is shown to form and maintain them like an actual character and not just a vehicle for ass kickery.

The Twelve Kingdoms

This series doesn’t actually begin with a strong female character, but what makes it lovely is that she really grows into one all on her own. Youko, who was once a timid student, slowly explores her new world and ends up a fully realized political leader in the end.

Claymore

While having an order of women infused with demon blood so they can fight demons seems pretty bad ass, it is undermined when you later learn that it is all men governing over them. Ignoring that tidbit, the series exclusively focuses on the female fighters and their struggle between fighting demons for a world that hates them despite their necessity and their own struggle against the ultimate fate of Claymores.

Moribito

Moribito is a simple sort of story in which a royal child is taken from the castle for their own protection and guarded by a mercenary. Except, unlike you would expect, the child is a young prince and their protector is a female mercenary. The mercenary, Balsa, is both a good protector, but also a strong maternal figure that helps the child in her care learn useful lessons about the kingdom he will one day rule. It is very nice to see a series that makes a female badass, but does not strip away all things feminine to do it.

Nana

Nana is, at times, both a great story with a female protagonist and a not-so-great one. Really it depends on which Nana they are focusing on. Nana O. is a strong punk rock girl who was so dedicated to music, she gave up love despite coming from a childhood of general lovelessness and struggle. Nana K, on the other hand, is a little lovesick and often jumps into relationships recklessly because she is so desperate for someone in her life.

Ouran High School Host Club

Romance series, despite often having female protagonists, are not usually a great genre to find strong ones. Ouran High School Host Club is the exception. Despite having quite the harem of young men before her, Haruhi doesn’t dissolve into a love-addled fool. Instead, there is a natural progression to the friendship she has with them. While it does become a love story, Haruhi is always strong, smart, but most of all, she allows herself to be vulnerable without completely falling apart.

Shirobako

An anime about making anime certainly is a unique look at the industry, but having the main characters be women is a further interesting spin. Things are difficult from the anime-making aspect of the show, but whose to say that it is a real honest portrayal of women in the industry or just a cute face for the production of it.

A Place Further Than The Universe

Anime has a lot of stupid plots and even stupider reasons why they were successful. A Place Further Than The Universe starts with what should be an impossible premise – several school girls traveling to Antarctica – and makes it happen in a surprisingly real and thought out way. These school girls are all looking for something in their life, adventure mostly, but find a lot along the way that they weren’t looking for.

Michiko & Hatchin

Not all female protagonists have to be good-aligned characters. Michiko is a morally grey badass who is hunting down an old lover by possibly abducting his daughter Hatchin. Together, these two head out on an epic journey full of characters and misadventures. While a man is the goal, the journey is all had by the women.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Utena was truly revolutionary and ahead of its time. As it is such a dated anime, it can turn people off, but it was the gender-challenger of its time. It follows the story of Utena who was rescued by a prince as a child. She then decides she wants to grow up to be a prince. This ultimately leads to a surreal school life series with fluid gender presentation and role challenges.

Violet Evergarden

You’d want to watch this series just for how visually beautiful it is, but it also features a great female protagonist. As she was a soldier from a young age, the story focuses on Violet and her difficulties and guilt after the war. In order to decipher the last words of someone she lost during the war, she decides to become a ghostwriter that writes letter for people who can’t, but want to convey various emotions. The show is about how she struggles to understand these emotions and grows from each experience.

Madoka Magica

The amount of actual males in this show can likely be counted on one hand. As such, there is nothing but great female characters here. What makes them each interesting is that they are both strong characters, and flawed ones. The best written characters of any gender are complex ones. As a series that completely subverts the magical girl genre into something horrific and strangely philosophical, this is a must watch.

Fruits Basket

At a glance, Tohru doesn’t seem like a strong character as she essentially is taken care of by a large family of mostly men. However, aside from helping many of the Sohma clan deal with their complex shit, she is also a resilient character. She ended up living in a tent after losing her parents, but none of that ever got her down. Shoujo character are often hard-working, resilient, and earnest – which is what attracts the menfolk – but it is those that don’t dissolve into jelly once they get an ounce of affection that really stand out.

Kemono no Souja Erin

This series isn’t about a girl and her relationships with people. Instead, it is about a girl and her relationships she builds with animals that end up more complex than anyone ever thought. Unfortunately, because these animals are used for war, it leads her into politics. What makes this series so unique, though, is that you view the world from a growing child’s eyes. You see it as a child would see it. Then you see it as an adult would see it as she grows up.

Snow White With The Red Hair

This anime is based on the fairy tale in title only. This series follows a girl with vibrant red hair that attracts the eye of the local prince. He wants to make her his concubine, so she runs to the next country over instead. While it does feature a love story between the girl and the prince there, the main character also has her own goals besides landing herself a man.

Do you have any more anime series with a strong female protagonist that anime fans would like? Let everyone know in the comments section below.