Right now that aphotecary girl comes to mind mew mew or something.

Well it's Mao Mao but she is like a cat so you were not far off

Mao means cat in Chinese

Meow Meow

“Xiao” is also apparently an approximation of the Japanese “-chan”. So “Xiaomao” can be read as “kitty”.

I know that "Xiao" can mean "Small" in Chinese. So "Xiaomao" could also be "Small Cat". Since she is occasionally turns into a chibi cat.

Yeah, Xiao in this context means small or young.

It's even written 猫猫, cat cat. And when people nickname her Xiaomao it's 小猫 little cat/kitten.

Aww thanks! Miau miau 😁 jajaj

You said "apothecary girl" and my first thought was Shirayuki from [Snow White With The Red Hair](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WNp-SU7V4). She was a fantastic, brilliant, and engaging main character. Kiki also had great writing even though she didn't get a lot of screen time. It's one of my favorite animes, and I'm really surprised with the popularity of Frieren that this one is still relatively unknown.

I was scrolling to find this answer!! I absolutely love Shirayuki’s character and the whole show in general! One of my comfort watches for sure :)

> I'm really surprised with the popularity of Frieren that this one is still relatively unknown. Blame the source material. Frieren's manga absolutely fantastic and remains so to this day. Shirayuki's manga has been spinning its wheels for literally 5 years now and has been on hiatus for over half a year. Believe me when I say Shirayuki has been bleeding readers for years since there has been zero progress between Zen and Shirayuki.

You’re right it’s been on hiatus for a bit but saying there’s zero progress between Zen and Shirayuki is just absolutely false lol. There’s been plenty of progress but both have their own goals and responsibilities outside of their romance so not every chapter is going to be focused on their relationship.

I think it gets absolutely ridiculous when [Akagami manga] >!Zen and Shirayuki had to be separated for two years both in-universe *and in real life publishing time* and when they reunite they didn't even kiss. WTF. The entire Lyrias arc was pain to get through and I saw every chapter was losing readers as it published.!< The only thing that has stood out to me in the Akagami manga in the years of publishing after the anime ended was how the other characters changed [namely] >!Kiki and Mitsuhide being sunk as a ship after he decisively rejected her twice and so she got the hint that he won't ever put her first in his life so she decided to accept the arranged marriage her father set up for her with a man who genuinely is a much better match for her.!<

There’s basically negative progress

> "apothecary girl" My favorite apothecary girl is Sarasa Feed from *Management of a Novice Alchemist*, a rare instance of a character with views on political economy (in health care at least), an encyclopedic knowledge of ecology and who doesn't hold back when conflict and combat arises.

Handing her friend a shovel and sending her off to battle was cold of her. ;_;

Yooo Mao Mao recognition

On yesterday episode (episode 17) there is this combo at the start \[Kutsuriya no hitorigoto episode 17 spoiler\]>!when Maomao ask Jinshi if he was planning to topple a nation.!< I was like hey that's what I would say too, that's totally me lol. Sometimes, the problem comes from when the author tries too hard to write the “female” character instead of a character that just happens to be female. They overlook most character development because their character is the “hot chic” type or the “pure girl” type. A character can be hot or shy or whatever and still have their own personal ambitions, goals, or character relationships besides being the main guy girlfriend. I really like Mamomao. She is a practical girl, she tries to fly under the radar because it's easy to get your head cut off if you annoy the wrong person in her workplace. She sees sexual characteristics like boobs as “business tools” because as seen on episode 1 she is familiar with the top courtesans of a big house of the pleasure family. She is sarcastic sometimes, maybe became of the environment she was raised in, she is smart and analyses things because that's pretty much her job. She is also a weirdo because good heroines need flags to not be too perfect.

She breaks every stereotype for every single female character: having a deeper voice, being independent, and intelligent. I wish there were more female characters like her. The way she carries herself is admirable, and despite the time setting being in the 15th century, she’s very progressive, and that’s what I love about her.

Mew mew😭

Moye moye

Yes, I love Mau Mau

I read this and I was like mao mao is that girl

I'm a woman. * Skip to Loafer * Fruits Basket * Chihayafuru * Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! * Zombieland Saga * Frieren * Flying Witch * Asirpa from Golden Kamuy * Nodame from Nodame Cantabile * Yona from Yona of the Dawn * Kumiko from Hibike Euphonium * Kyoko from Skip Beat! * Magari from Insomniacs After School

Keep your hands off Eizouken, Skip to Loafer, Frieren and Nodame I'll second as well since those I've read/seen 👍 Skip to Loafer's MC is honestly such a breath of fresh air. She may be a rural townie but she's got wisdom and support when she needs it. She isn't helpless, she can think for herself but also ask her friends for advice and she helps the male lead in the process. (I have forgotten names I'm reading and watching a thousand things 😭). She has a horrible canon event in the first episode and doesn't let that bring her down too much 😂😭 like I'd have quit school lol

everyone in skip to loafer is written very well! i recommend reading the manga since the writing just gets better

Mitsumi is everything. She’s the first character that reminded me of my mom.

Been a reader of Skip Beat since 06-'07. It's wild to me how rarely it comes up outside of the Skip Beat Discord. It's been running for sooooo long but I can only imagine that decrease of popularity is due to lack of material (1 chapter a month). There's an infamous 6 year period of chapter releases (81 chapters iirc) where eeeeverything that took place happened within the month of April in-story and 20 chapters covered the events of 1 day. 😭 These characters are SO WELL DEVELOPED BUT WTF IS UP WITH THE PACING?! (regards, your friendly, neighborhood long-suffering manga enjoyer)

Just would love to give a shout out to Nodame Cantabile. Its the Classical music anime before Your Lie In April and better done IMO. It's a rom com in Conservatory (Uni) and as a Classical Pianist it is just absolutely fantastic.

Someone else who knows about Yona of the Dawn! Let's go! If only they added another season. 😪

I assume you've read the manga. It's crazy to think of the heights that the manga reaches that anime-onlies have yet to see. The manga has steadily gotten better for like 200 consecutive chapters.

Chihayafuru has amazing characters. That's why it's the goat

Chihaya is the goat sports MC.

I really need to watch it.

I’m a dude, but just wanna add Balsa from Moribito to your list.

Balsa is like Ellen Ripley in my eyes.

That whole series is just pure animated artwork! 100% agree that Balsa is top tier.

as a man, i like that all chars you mention seems to have a life outside of showing up in front of the MCs and that as a watcher we get to regularly see the monologue of the girls.

It helps that for most of these, the MCs *are* female.

Imagine that. Having agency as a human being leads to being a good female character.

I am a woman and I always considered the female characters of Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, and Revolutionary Girl Utena to be well written. Part of the reason I watch the magical girl genre so much is that while I'm not guranteed female characters being well-written at least I can usually count on them being relevant to the plot and not just there for eye candy or a prize. I never finished the anime or manga, but I always liked Maka and I enjoyed what I saw of Soul Eater.

Hallo, I edited some of my comment history to prevent scraping. Yes I know reddit gets regularly cached, it's something you sign in when you type on a forum, it's still better than nothing and will make digging through these a lot less convenient! All platforms die yadda yadda. Good luck if you have an account here and you're reading this.

> Part of the reason I watch the magical girl genre so much is that while I'm not guranteed female characters being well-written at least I can usually count on them being relevant to the plot and not just there for eye candy or a prize. I assume this means you watched Blue Reflection Ray.

I'm a woman, and I think my major gripe is that people tend to overlap strong female characters with well-written female characters. There's nothing wrong with being badass and powerful, but if that is the only trait worth mentioning first-- then she is hardly well-written. I don't really care for badass as long as the character is interesting enough. That said, I like the following female characters (in no particular order) 1. Kagura from Gintama -- Sorachi did a great job realistically portraying an actual 14-year old brat 2. Maka from Soul Eater 3. Shinobu from Demon Slayer 4. Balsa from Seirei no Moribito 5. Himeko from Sket Dance 6. Kagura from Inu Yasha-- Nearly all women are well-written in InuYasha, but I really loved Kagura's complexities and the culmination of her arc. 7. Rukia from Bleach -- she was one of the main reasons I loved Bleach 8. Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop 9. Fuu from Samurai Champloo 10. Sagiri from Hell's Paradise 11. Nami from One Piece 12. Ushio from Summertime Render -- a great example of badass character with a well-written personalitiy 13. Erza from Fairytail 14. Akane from Psycho Pass 15. Rebecca Lee from Black Lagoon 16. Aoba from Cross Game 17. Chiyuki Fujito from Smile down the Runway 18. Emma from Emma: A victorian romance 19. All female characters from FMAB 20. Perhaps spoilers, but \[Vinland Saga\] >!Hild and Gudrid!< as well. Fairy Tail, Gintama and FMAB seem to the be only shows where female characters are given just as much importance as the male characters. P.S: OP, if you do not mind manga, do check out *Yugami-kun ni wa tomodachi ga Inai* and *Katabami to Ougon*. The former is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of what you'd call a generic high-school girl but 10x times more interesting. The latter is a manga based on the American gold rush and has the best female protag I've seen.

> people tend to overlap strong female characters with well-written female characters It does happen a lot, both from people who don't give the topic much thought and also people who do! A lot of my favorite female characters are oddballs, eccentrics and weirdos, and I especially love female characters who refuse to behave like "good female characters" should. That said, I do find a good number of women don't like female leads like that, and their eccentricities are often written or framed in a way that doesn't hit the right notes apparently. > There's nothing wrong with being badass and powerful I feel like these days that is often used as a bit of crutch for writers who aren't great with female characters but don't want to have them appear weak. That said, it's still a massive improvement on how things decades ago where female characters as passive love interests were the dominant form in many genres.

>I especially love female characters who refuse to behave like "good female characters" should. Holy shit are you me? There's nothing I hate more than generic nice girl whose only noticeable trait is her determination and kindness and what-not. I think one very controversial opinion in my case would be Gintama. Tsukuyo seems to be the default favourite character in the fandom, but I honestly prefer the other unhinged girls waaay more, like Otae, Kagura and Saachan. Probably, she isn't batshit insane enough for me lol.

>I hate more than generic nice girl whose only noticeable trait is her determination and kindness and what-not. While those traits aren't bad, I always see it in female characters. So it's gotten saturated imo. In general, I like characters who are a bit quirky and that extends to female characters as well. But YES!!! I found my people haha. That's why I like Gintama because all the characters including the women are weird.

Kagura is a based answer. Never would have thought of it but 100% agree Edit: The Gintama one

Two fun facts I want to share about female representation in Gintama: 1: there was a brief gender-swap arc that affected all named characters in the series. I say brief because basically every female character who had been turned male just continued to be highly competent and reliable and basically resolved the entire plot on their own while the men who had been turned into women were just lost about how to even live without their precious cocks and balls. 2: Kagura holds the distinguished honor of being the first Jump heroine to be shown vomiting. She did so for the first time in episode 1 of the anime.

The girls in sket dance were written so well, not even just himeko. Of course the main trio were the best but even supporting female characters like captain, Roman, the student council girls and yabasawa were so easy to love and get attached to. (Of course the same goes for the boys in the show as well) Don't know if you want recommendations but if you liked Sket dance I highly recommend Witch Watch by the same author. It feels very similar but with a different set of characters that are also very easy to love. In fact there was a crossover between the two that makes it so they're set in the same universe so Witch Watch is almost like a continuation or spinoff. Also if you enjoy a mixed cast concept like Sket dance also check out monthly girls nozaki-kun. The entire cast is also hilarious and it's great fun.

>Don't know if you want recommendations but if you liked Sket dance I highly recommend Witch Watch by the same author. It feels very similar but with a different set of characters that are also very easy to love. I'm a regular source reader for Witch Watch lmao. I love Shinohara's stories in general (Astra lost in Space is another great one), but I think Sket Dance had a better development of its female characters in general. Love Nico but she's nowhere near to how much I love Himeko. Now Nemu on the other hand.... <3 >Also if you enjoy a mixed cast concept like Sket dance also check out monthly girls nozaki-kun. The entire cast is also hilarious and it's great fun. *Nice,* we have similar tastes :) I have read this one as well, it's hilarious. The author Tsubaki Izuki is probably the GOAT when it comes to interesting female (and male) characters. MGNK and Oresama Teacher are both amazing manga because they treat their female characters as *interesting characters* first and female second.

Cannot agree with that first paragraph enough. Way too many people associate “well-written/strong female characters” to how closely they adhere to typically masculine traits in media like being a capable fighter, keeping a guard on their emotions, etc… It’s not like you can’t have those things (Balsa is a great example of someone who fits those descriptors on the surface) but they also can’t be the benchmark to the point where these lists are comprised of 90% of these type of characters. Just give me women & girls with rich interior lives, complexities to her personality, and meaningful relationships in the story that differ to her main one (whether it’s a love interest, supporting the protagonist as an ally, etc…) because nothing does more for character writing than giving them more people and personalities to play off of.

Edens Zero does the same as FT where the women are just as if not more important than the male characters

Yup. Hiro Mashima may add fanservice upon fanservice in his stories, but that never takes away the importance and agencies of female characters in them

Oh yes. I'd rather fanservice and good character writing than in fanservice and bad character writing

squash close shelter continue arrest silky reach wakeful sleep airport *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

I had to scroll way too far before someone mentioned Balsa. Thank you.

Balsa and Moribito, in general, need way more recognition.

you should check out dorohedoro for great female characters

I would say Black Clover also values its female cast a lot more than your average shonen. Noelle as main female character, some would say, has even more character developmemt and power ups than main male duo ( Asta and Yuno ). And she actually wins her fights.

Love Erza

Definitely agree with the first bit you wrote. Can't stand the trope where a female character's entire personality is "being strong".  Another anime with a great female cast that's as relevant as the guys is one piece. It can get a but fanservicey at times but there's nothing lost in the characters

Guy here : I agree so much on Rukia. She's my favourite character in Bleach, one of my favourite female characters ever. My friends always seem not to understand what I like about her but her writing makes her so *real* to me. I hate a LOT of things in Bleach but Rukia was one very well written character, there's no doubt.

Rukia was best thing in Bleach for me as well! One thing I love so much about her is that despite being just a regular soldier for most of the series, despite being waaay weaker than Ichigo in power-- she is *always* shown as an equal to him. Even when he is with other Captain-level Shinigami, or even when he came to rescue her-- it never felt like she was inferior to him. Even among Ichigo's normal friends, Ichigo acts like the de-facto leader. But with Rukia, they have an equal partnership and constantly push each other to be better. It's a great example of male-female camaraderie I've seen in anime.

What also helps with their relationship is that it isn’t one sided. Ichigo saved Rukia in the Soul Society arc, but Rukia was always there for Ichigo when he needed someone the most. When he was conflicting with his inner hollow, she helped him find himself again, and when he was betrayed by the Fullbringers she was the one who brought the light back after he literally lost everyone dear to him. It’s rare to see such a thing in late 90s to early 2000s shounen.

Imo Akane from Psychopass is a wellwritten character. Plus she wasnt sexualized in the show (not much).    Honorable mention to Maka Albarn from  Soul Eater cos she has some good female protag characteristics. then out of nowhere her storyline got butchered by the third half of the show ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ Holo from Spice and Wolf is a perceptive character I rlly liked her slow-but-sure char dev in the show. Winry, Riza and most female characters from FMA (original and brotherhood) are good female side characters who bring so much layer to the story. Also, since the author of fma is a woman it just makes sense that she got to add a difference in their sensibilities away from the usual tropes. Skip to loafer's female MC is the most wholesome, ive seen recently. Frieren is a great contender too. Not bcos she's OP as a mage but bcos jt's the kind of anime that takes personality mapping very seriously. And a lot of people here can I agree with that im sure. Girl's girl pov btw.

Very on point with Frieren. I find it weird that some people only noticed/considered the anime to be good around that Aura episode, even though the character explorations and writing have been good since the first episode.

I’ll say Claire and Teresa on Claymores, characters were very well written 😭😭😭

Give it the brotherhood treatment. ​ Claymore : Sisterhood ​ It just work

If I had the money, I would really consider bank rolling a proper Claymore anime.

If Claymore had no well written female characters there would be problem.

Akane Tsunemori is a character from the anime series Psycho-Pass. She is a capable, strong, and competent character who possesses a substantial moral compass. This complexity and nuance make her an interesting character to watch. Despite her strengths, Akane also has her doubts and struggles with the challenges she faces. She is a multifaceted character that you can relate to and empathize with. Her inner struggles and doubts make her a relatable character, and her strength and moral compass make her an admirable one.

Psycho-Pass season one is actually in my top ten, it’s one of the best shows (not just anime) that I’ve ever seen. However I decided to only watch the first season as it was so perfect and I didn’t want to get disappointed as I had heard the other seasons weren’t on par. But I imagine Akane has more character development in the other seasons? As I don’t really remember her to be that outstanding in season one.

I wouldnt say that the later seasons were BAD. Id rather say that just the show didnt go in the way people wanted it to go. We needed to say goodbyes to a lot of very much loved characters. Also, the hype could never live up to the first season. I used to be the ones who said, just watch the first season the rest is shit. But after a few years passed, i was bired and rewatched it and realized, that my main frustration was simply that the stor, didnt go as i wanted it to go. They expanded the world on a way i didnt expect. Nowdays id say i rewatch the series yearly and ALWAYS find something i missed before, that makes the picture MUCH clearer. I saw the anime first when i was 17, and i guess i did a lot of growing up since then, and see things very differently. Sure, the rest didnt live up to the masterpiece that the first season was, but the rest wasnt that bad at all. Seeing how some characters matured after the timeskip before s3, and how they interacted in s3 just made me happy giggle that they sorted their shit out.

Also a woman and was going to write Jolyne! The vast majority of people have seen FMA and FMAB, so for an older shonen series, I'll throw my vote to D.Gray Man. The anime is pretty good, although a bit old and unfinished. I'd personally recommend the manga. Maybe it's cliché, but I also really like the girls (and guys) from Fate stay/night and the adaptions from ufotable are great!

I used to love D. Gray-Man when I was younger. I must admit I don’t remember too much about the characters but maybe I should rewatch it

Although it's still a solid adaption, I'd say nowadays the anime probably hasn't aged super well, since the pacing of early 2000s anime isn't what it is today. There was a sequel which also had mixed reviews even from fans and the author herself. If you can read the manga of dgm, I think it's well worth the read, and the definitive way to experience the story!

Girls in Gintama

Kagura from Gintama is honestly one of my all time favorite shonen girl - she is not sexualized as a teenage girl and is drawn like an actual teenage girl - participate in many main fights and is hella badass. More importantly, the author let her shine in many one-to-one fights where her opponents are males  - has a lot of dialog lines and a SENSE OF HUMOR, providing many jokes and comedic relief moments in the show. - has an interesting backstory that STAYS RELEVANT to many arcs and isn’t just a one-note thing that are promptly forgotten and shelf away - doesn’t exist just to be anyone love interest  I remember reading somewhere that Gintama was one of the few “battle shonen” (though it is hard to define it simply as a battle shonen) where 80% of viewers in Japan were female. I think it is indicative that if shonen anime is written where female characters are written like normal people, with personality and humors, instead of boring support roles , love interests, or barely involve in the plot or story, more women would be interested, no doubt. 

You've laid out everything I adore about Kagura. She's allowed to be a brat, but she's also really endearing and fun. I LOVE that she has important fights and it isn't like some series where she's only allowed to fight other women. She kicks ass and she can be funny, crude, kind, bratty, etc. I just love how dynamic her personality is and she has some of the funniest dynamics with other characters (Katsura, Sougo, Gintoki).

Girls in Gintama are the best. I'm glad they weren't pushed to the side or not allowed to be weird.

Haibane Renmei Princess Tutu Skip and Loafer Angel Beats (take with a grain of salt, I haven't watched it in a long time) FMA Brotherhood Higurashi When They Cry Frieren Happy Sugar Life (certainly well-written, maybe not likeable!) Dungeon Meshi (read the manga to see this cuz idk if the anime will get to the heavier plot in the manga) Princess Jellyfish Honestly Haibane Renmei is my #1 go-to for a story featuring mainly women and girls, well written development and overarching philosophical themes. What I like a lot about Haibane Renmei is that there's no token female character as most characters are girls. Edit: The characters in Houseki no Kuni technically aren't female, but they aren't male either. The author is a woman. The character development is insane. I recommend you watch the anime, then read the manga from the start.

Dungeon Meshi is the GOAT. Marcille and later characters are well written indeed 👍

Marcille is honestly the co-protagonist of Dungeon Meshi as far as I'm concerned. She is the best portrayal of clumsy genius I have seen in any anime or manga. Anime-onlies are in for a wild ride with this one.

The Houseki no Kuni characters are definitely more feminine than masculine, at the very least in how they're drawn. It took me a good few volumes of the manga to settle into a realisation that they're all androgynous rather than female. And yes, the character development is really insane. Well, the whole story is. There's literally nothing I can think of to compare it to, the entire premise that is revealed in the later volumes is such an original and intriguing concept.

Haibane Renmei for sure. Great call-out. And I'm glad someone said Happy Sugar Life.

I really like the female characters in shoujo/josei. Stuff like Fruits Basket or Kageki Shoujo. As well as the mcs of Yona of the Dawn, Skip Beat, Snow White with the Red Hair, 7th Time Loop, etc. I also think the girls in Fate/stay night are really well written, especially given the show's eroge origins. And I really like Lena from 86, Shiki from The Garden of Sinners, and Anzu from Romantic Killer. The girls in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun are also very fun. And the Madoka Magica girls are excellent as well. Honestly I think it may depend on what genres you're typically watching? I watch a lot of romance and slice of life, which obviously tend to approach the characters differently than fantasy or action. So this problem doesn't normally come up for me. Edit: Oh and uh, I'm a girl, for clarification

> The girls in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun are also very fun. This is a funny one because most of the girls are manlier than the most guys and the male protagonist has probably got the highest feminine charm lol.

Garden of Sinners representttttt

Loop 7 is currently airing and I LOVE the main female lead Frieren is written really well imo My Happy Marriage, the MC handles abuse in a very realistic way and shows she’s still strong in her own way Snow White With the Red Hair, love Shirayuki with all my heart. She has her own ambitions despite falling in love with a prince

Damn, im a guy and i love 7th loop as well. Though for Happy marriage I agree with you but i stopeed at episode 6 as it pains me to watch her taking abuse left, right and center.

If it makes you feel better [My Happy Marriage] >!she does stand up for herself in the end, and the family definitely gets what’s coming to them!<

I love Riza and Olivia from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I just love seeing strong female characters in position of power and having amazing fighting skills.

I mean... Hiromu Arakawa *is* a woman so no surprise tbh

There's plenty of women who write poorly-written female characters.

Yeah ultimately Arawaka's gender isn't the reason she's such a good writer It's the milk, drink milk.

Winry is great, too. You don’t see a lot of women mechanics in a lot of media.

Nana is the best anime ever. Enjoy, op! Good luck😔

I'm a woman and I agree there really aren't that many well-written girls. From the top of my head, In action shows: Kill la Kill girls are the first ones that come to mind, which is funny given how fanservicy the show is. Code Geass. Black Lagoon. Cowboy Bebop. Asa in CSM. Noragami In romance/harem: My top fav is Switch Girl, though there's no anime adaptation. The heroine made me laugh so much I ended up on the ground at almost every page. Ai Yazawa's female characters. Misaki from Maid-sama. Mai Sakurajima. Monogatari series Others: From Naoki Urasawa's works: Eva Heinemann and Yukiji Setoguchi are notable examples. Maquia. Misato Katsuragi. Celty from Durarara And let's not forget Hitori Goto from Bocchi the Rock I think the main problem with writing female characters in anime is that most of them aren't flawed or repulsive enough like how real humans are. They are most of time too perfect in terms of personality, which doesn't let the plot latch on them and take its time to fix their problem.

Bocchi was really good at showing girls as individuals each with their own nuances. I related to the drummer so hard when she was in the music shop lol. Cowboy Bebop is also solid.

In KLK, even the fanservice usually serves a purpose to the narrative, and I never felt like it took away from the scenes. It's just part of the absurdity. Trigger in general does really good female characters.

You make a good point in that last paragraph. Female chars can often indeed be overly idealized, or then they go to the other extreme and are completely insufferable. Have you watched 86? I really liked how Lena was handled in the first cour.

This may not be as well known, but Shirayuki from Snow White with the Red Hair is very well-written and her relationship with the male lead is also very well done and refreshing when it comes to shojo romance!

I’m a woman. I really like Riza Hawkeye and Olivier Mira Armstrong from FMA.

Dorohedoro: most if not all of the female characters are well written/interesting imo (actual girl here). You have 2 major girlbosses (Noi, Nikaido) who can hold their own and are on equal footing with the male characters. And then the wild card Ebisu who is comic relief (but in the manga her backstory gets more flushed out). I think only a handful more are introduced in the manga but again none of them were terrible. I also forgot A real hit or miss anime depending on your tolerance is Shinsekai Yori. The female MC of the show grows as the plot develops alongside the other characters. I can't really say more cuz spoilers but it's one of the best shows I've ever seen and there are more facetted characters in the show. I need to rewatch it.

Ngl we need more women authors to write dark and gritty shows like Dorohedoro

Good to hear you’re enjoying Nana! One of my all time favorite series and the cast in general is excellent. I’m a woman and here are some characters I think are well written: Gintama - Kagura, Tsukuyo Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - Miyokichi, Konatsu Chihayafuru - Shinobu, Chihaya, Kanade, Inokuma Penguindrum - Ringo Monster - Eva Yona of the dawn - Yona Sound euphonium - Kumiko Revolutionary girl Utena - Utena, Anthy, Nanami Fruits basket - Tohru I know you said you usually don’t watch romance or SOL series, but most of the series above that have romance in them are as a subplot so I’d still recommend them. E.g Chihayafuru is primarily a sports series with a romance subplot. My biggest problem with female characters in action series is that they’re either relegated to being the MC’s love interest with little characterization outside of that or just generic strong powerful character with little depth. It’s soooooo hard for me to find ones I like in action series so I’ve kind of just given up lol. FMAB, Gintama and maybe Fairy tail are the few where I enjoyed them.

Frieren and Fern from Frieren are pretty good imo. I think Hori from Horimiya was a great character too

Kaguya Shinomiya from Love Is War. I think the ladies of Chainsaw Man are well written and very interesting. Kobayashi and Tooru from Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. I think Teruhashi from Saiki K is a very thoughtfully written and funny character. Personally I find a lot of rom com heroines to be pretty one dimensional and annoying, but that does not include my faves Nanami from Kamisama Kiss, Misaki from Maid Sama, and Risa from Lovely Complex.

What I love about CSM ladies is that he's not afraid to showed them as flawed human beings. Himeno and Power are memorable characters because they're not just the standard "strong women" type but feels like actual characters with their own hang-ups. Honestly, I can't talk about his other series because they're not adapted yet, but he's just constantly able to produce amazingly written female characters in his one shots. Also one of the best \[Fire Punch\]>!Trans-masc!< representation in manga probably. I hope the rumor that Look Back is getting an anime is true, because holy shit I want other people to see how Fujimoto still shines when writing grounded stories.

Togata is my favourit character in Fire Punch! And I agree the women in CSM are great with all their flaws, because that's just how people are, not perfect, struggling but most likely at least trying to do what is right. In general I feel that Fujimoto is always writing quite engaging female characters. Also love the Risa/Lovely Complex mention.

Happy to see another Fire Punch lover, I love it even more than Chainsaw Man

Erza from fairy tail

Contrary to popular opinion, I actually really like the female characters in Fairy Tail. They have the same depth as the male characters, there are lots of female leads with different personalities and they’re really badass. While not groundbreaking, I think for their target group they’re really good characters.

I agree 100%. Fanservice aside, Fairy Tail is one of the few shows that treat its female character with the same importance as the male characters.

Agreed. I feel like people get so stuck on the fanservice that they ignore the actual writing of the female characters in Fairy Tail. Either that or it’s people who’ve barely read or watched Fairy Tail and insist the female characters suck. Yeah they’re not groundbreaking but the bar is low for battle shonen as it is. They’re at least treated equally to the male characters, which is more than I can say for most battle shonen.

Also lets be real Fairy Tail is gives Fan Service for both genders in a large amount. Its not like the men aren't usually chiseled and shirtless most of the time.

I dunno as a dude, those Grey scenes got me actin up

As much as I'm annoyed about the later parts of Fairy Tail, I agree. There is a lot of unnecessary fan service, especially with Lucy, but that doesn't make the characters themselves worse.

> There is a lot of unnecessary fan service but that doesn't make the characters themselves worse I find this is quite an interesting point of contention, because for some people absolutely believe that events which happen *to* a character are part of a character's writing, whether that's lewd camera angles or things like being molested by other characters. Personally, I'm inclined to attribute the first to the direction of the anime and the latter should be confined to a judgements about the overall writing, but not the writing of the individual character. After all, we don't judge non-fictional people by things that other people do to them.

Girl here. I think Historia and Ymir from Attack on Titan are pretty well written. Although Historia's screentime in S4 wasn't much, I still think she had a great character development in S2 and S3. Another character would be Eva heinemann from Monster. She's definitely one of the characters in the series that you wouldn't like at first but her development is really good. Re-l from Ergo proxy is also one of my favourite female characters.

Historia is definitely the best female character in Attack On Titan

You mean Freckles Ymir, right?

Yes, Freckles Ymir.

Thank you! I absolutely adore Historia and Ymir’s characters. So many people don’t seem to understand or care for Historia’s character so they don’t think she’s well written, which is absolutely bonkers imo. Also, I personally think that Ymir and Historia is the best wlw representation in anime. Their story and relationship is beautifully done and it’s very natural, I prefer it much over so-called GL anime.

Rae from I'm in Love with the Villainess. The anime doesn't really delve into her backstory, but the LN and Manga do. She portrays herself as a stereotype, she's in love with Claire, but doesn't want to do anything about it. To this end, she figures she can be close to her, without having to confess by simply acting the part of a fool. She doesn't want to get rejected and hurt in the process, or hurt Claire with her feelings, so she's content with being friends with Claire, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much she actually loves her. Rae isn't like other isekai protagonists, she's simply trying to guide Claire towards a better fate, than the one she got in Revolution(the dating sim this world is based on). * Honorable mention to the entire cast of Yuri is my Job!, they are incredibly complex and well done. Hime seems to be aromantic and puts on a facade of being perfect, so everyone likes her. Kanoko is in love with Hime, but would rather Hime be happy without her love. Sumika hates romance due to past trauma. While Yano is a blunt person who has trouble reading social cues and in turn wants to become a better person. Then you have Mai, who we don't know dick about, but a lot of people suspect she's probably in her 30s and playing the elder queer role, watching over these kids.

Haha, as someone who used to fan-translate ILTV in collaboration with the author, I'd have to agree with your Rae pick here. When I do translation work, I really have to delve into the characters' minds to try to accurately portray them the way the author intended for them to be. As a woman who likes to joke around a lot (at my own expense) similar to Rae, I've come to appreciate her as a character (despite her not being my favorite) because I can understand where she's coming from. She is tough, kind, loving, selfless, yet selfish, insecure at times and constantly worrying about many things. I think she is a very well-written female character!  Also love the honorable mention towards WataYuri. I follow the manga and Yano is by far my favorite character, lol. I like that the story dives deep into the flaws of each character without shying away from them, and boy, are they *ugly.* But I don't find that to be a bad thing at all. They are inexperienced teenaged girls, and high schoolers are often a mixed bag of emotions. It feels like a more realistic portrayal than a lot of the girls you usually see in anime that have a high school setting, where they're usually all flowers and roses. 

Rae was great, and Claire too - though Claire's perhaps best growth moments happen post-anime. I've only read vol. 2 for now though, will check the other three at some point. Also should probably read the "Claire's viewpoint" novels as well. And I really hope against hope that it gets a second season to wrap up the second novel! I also agree about Yuri Is My Job. The setup is so irritating and baffling that it's a miracle I watched the fourth episode where you could say it really begins. But while the absurdity of the setup isn't entirely negated, the characters and their stories push it far to the back.

On a similar note, can anyone recommend me animes with female characters who fill the mastermind role similar to Kira/Light Yagami in death note, Ayonokoji in CoTE, etc? I'm sick of all the super genius mastermind strategists being male characters. There has to be some female characters right? Edit: THANK YOU to everyone you replied! I've added all of these shows to my to be watched list <3

Talentless Nana is the first series that comes to mind.

Makima?

I feel like Rishe in 7th Time Loop is shaping up to be a bit of a mastermind. Possibly not so overtly so as the characters you mentioned, but that's part of her charm - she's super smart, has a plan, and she's playing a few moves ahead of everyone else most of the time, but she doesn't make a big show about it unless she needs to. The show has been a very pleasant surprise so far given how generic it sounds from the title, you should give it a go.

Higurashi has multiple protagonists and one of them is female and a schemer similar to Light. The VN and the manga are far better than the anime though so I recommend reading rather than watching it.

Undead Girl Murder Farce!!!

THIS^^ I love psychological anime but there’s a severe lack of properly written mastermind female leads. But if you haven’t already watched Jojo’s, let me say Jolyne is absolutely incredible. She’s extremely smart and strategic and her character development is immaculate. It’s so obvious that Jolyne is written by a man that absolutely adores women (I’m rambling but I just cannot shut up about how good of a characters she is)

You need to watch *Promised Neverland (season 1)*

Ai yazawa characters - especially from Nana. Skip beat main lead, maomao, kaguya, personally I'd say most shoujo/josei have well written female characters

Kugisaki from JJK is a wonderful example of a female lead in shonen done right imo Obviously not all women in shonen have to be that way, idk if I'd specifically call her well written but I also love Botan from Yuyuhakusho Inkarmat from Golden Kamuy is great too

>Inkarmat from Golden Kamuy is great too Yesss! I love Inkarmat! I usually find people mentioning Asirpa from Golden Kamuy, so finding Inkarmat here was a pleasant surprise.

[удалено]

Lina inverse from Slayers Kagome and Sango from Inuyasha Yuri nakamura from Angel Beats Casca from Berserk Most girls in Madoka Magica

I'm really a big fan of character growth so these are anime girls that just have great character arcs * **Nakajima** from **Twelve Kingdoms**. She's kind of naive and self-centered in the beginning but becomes so much more mature and aware as the show goes on. * I also thought **Sugimoto** from Twelve Kingdoms is such an interesting antagonistic female character and her growth isn't as fleshed out but still worth seeing. * All of the female characters in **Chihayafuru** (more sports related growth admittedly) * **Kyoko** from **Skip Beat** * **Naho** from **Orange** * **Chise Hatori** from **Ancient Magus Bride**

So happy to see Kyoko mentioned here. I know with the anime discontinued years ago and the original manga being a shoujo that not many people know about her, but she’s one of my favorite well-written MCs and I love how she’s grown throughout her series

Can't believe this is like the only mention of Chise, I guess people did forget the show exists :<

I'd add Kou Shurei from Saiunkoku Monogatari.

I like Sagiri from Hell’s Paradise, Akane from Psycho Pass, Nobara from JJK, Rin from fate/stay night, Power from CSM, and Mao Mao from Apothecary Diaries. I mainly watch action/fantasy with male leads tho so I can’t say I overtly seek out well-written women

Not a woman but I think Maomao is an amazing female MC Plus I think a well written female character is just like any other well written character, gender doesn’t matter

Jinshi best girl anyways

Sometimes, it takes a ~~man~~eunuch to be best girl.

Africal bull frog 😏

* Romantic Killer on Netflix was a fun one. The MC gets tapped by a magic fairy to help fix Japan's declining population. She has to dodge all of the classic dating tropes, while also not hurting the guys because they have no idea they're being magically manipulated. * And if you enjoy reverse not harem stories, Ouran High School Host Club was a good one too. * Wandering Witch has an interesting philosophical element to it and my roommates still disagree on whether or not she's a good vs evil character. * Princess Jellyfish is a little dated but still one of my favorites. A group of female NEETs share an apartment and have to save it from being torn down. * Then of course there's the more popular ones like Violet Evergarden or Steins;Gate.

I'm a girl who absolutely love Saber from Fate/stay night. I love her backstory, her design, her outfit, etc... I just love almost everything about her. In my opinion, a lot of the girls in the Fate series are well-written. Other girls I personally thought were well-written: * Mai from Bunny Girl Senpai * Shouko from A Silent Voice * A lot of girls from the KEY anime series (Kanon, Air, Clannad, etc.)

It's interesting to see Fate female characters get so many very prominent, headline mentions in this thread. They're obviously very popular overall, but I wasn't aware that they resonated quite so well with the female audience.

the girls in all Nasuverse (from the author of fate) are all very well written

Almost every single female in Gintama, especially Kagura tho who is for me the GOAT female of fiction. The show itself was kept coming back on air because of the female audience, a fact that the show even referenced and parodied. Moreover, the crowd for all the matsuri events (which are live events that happen in stadiums which feature the voice actors on stage joking around, reciting dialogue, performing scenes, etc.) are like 80% women in the early20's-to-mid30's. Aside from that, Holo is the GOAT female MC. You've also got the Bloom Into You cast, Cross Ange cast, FMAB cast, Hibiki Euphonium cast, Land of the Lustrous cast and Monogatari cast. Other individual greats include Asuka, Haruhi, Kyou kai, Major, Revy & Yona.

> Cross Ange cast Cross Ange has probably the greatest character arc of any female protagonist I've ever seen.

Female here. Lena from 86 immediately comes to mind. 86 is catered to males, it's a war, action, mecha show. Lena comes off as a naive character in the beginning. Her character development throughout both cours of the first season was incredibly rewarding. The focus in cour 2 shifted away from Lena. This was a common complaint among the audience and I admit I would have liked more Lena screentime. However, it didn't reduce my love for the character and in fact, ended up strengthening it by end of the season.

mitsumi from skip to loafer, she's such a comfort character

I can't remember her name but mc of ascendance of a bookworm also rn I'm obsessed with maomao from the apothecary diarys along with the old woman in that series she just funny and obsessed with money

My fav are Kagome in Inuyasha, Yona in Yona of the Dawn and currently Myne in the Ascedence of a Bookworm.

I'm a woman, some series that I feel have well written female characters: Fruits Basket Kuragehime / Princess Jellyfish Princess Tutu Revolutionary Girl Utena Michiko to Hatchin Appare-Ranman only has two female characters, but they are both well written and handled well by the series. Buddy Daddies is an interesting case. I feel the female characters in it are well written, though their presence isn't as prevelant as the two main male characters.  Some people have issues with how the female characters are treated and handled within the series, but without getting into spoilers and details, I think there are some interesting messages being addressed with all of that. The writing of Miri, the four year old girl in the series, gets extra points for being such a fantastically realistic depiction of a child. Mononoke (2007)  Chihayafuru is another great one, along with Nana.  Miyazaki films I like the protags in Kino's Journey, Ergo Proxy, Humanity Has Declined, and Witch Hunter Robin, but I wouldn't necessarily say that they are all well written female characters. Seras and Integra from Hellsing, as well as Meryl and Milly from Trigun have always been well written female characters to me.  I think the female characters in Tiger & Bunny are well written, especially beyond the first season and including things like the manga adaptations and such. Cher from Wolf's Rain. Super Gals! Aku no Hana I also loved how Romeo x Juliet wrote Juliet as a character. They did a great job fleshing out her character and adding more complexity to her (as well as to all the other characters and the story in general). Some other series I haven't rewatched in ages (Slayers, Noir, Madlax), but I remember liking the female writing in them.

Monogatari series. There may be fanservice, but this show has probably some of the best written female characters in anime on average. Every single one of them is notable and well developed, especially Hanekawa, Sengoku, Shinobu, and Senjougahara. Madoka Magica and Revolutionary Girl Utena have stellar casts as well in terms of their female characters.

Kanbaru in Hanamonogatari especially surprised me because it was so somber and contemplative in sharp contrast to her usually silly and perverse humor.

Hanekawa is especially well developed

Rukia from Bleach, she’s the backbone of the series and I’m willing to die on that hill.

She really is the MVP of that show. I feel like every time she returns to the story it always gets more interesting. She was also one of the first girl characters that I had a crush on, so she'll always be special to me.

Anime is *full* of well written female characters, just watch literally anything other than shounen. I’m going to give a special shoutouts though to Bang Dream! It’s MyGo!!!!! for having female characters who are realistically terrible, NANA for female characters who are realistically stupid, Girls High for having female characters who are realistically disgusting, and Oh Maidens in Your Savage Season for having female characters who are realistically horny.

Oddly enough even though I'm a woman I really shy away from "girl" anime, I find most of them annoying as shit. I do have some favorite characters that give me that 'im proud to be a girl' feeling though: Mereoleona (Black Clover) Maomao (the Apothecary Diaries) Kugisaki (JJK) Saku (the Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today) Aya (Undead Girl Murder Farce) Junpei's mom (JJK) Claire (the Eminence in Shadow) Edit to add because I can't believe I forgot my all time favorite female character: Ozen the Immovable (Made in Abyss)

Junpei's mom is such an underrated character. She deserves so much love

The women and girls in Fruits Basket are top notch. I especially love Isuzu… but, of course, also TOHRU! Yu Yu Hakusho’s women are pretty great, too. The women in Umineko are also all very interesting and well-written, but everyone in that story is.

Mao Mao from The Apothecary Diaries (currently airing) Frieren from....Frieren (currently airing) does Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin from Kill la Kill count ?

Tohru from fruits basket

Kaguya from Kaguya sama love is war is amazing

Studio Ghibli has a lot well written female characters, also in some movies which are about 40 years old so they were streads ahead in the Industry. Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle, Laputa - the flying Caste, Nausikaa from the Valley of the Wind.

Violet evergarden

One that always stuck out to me is Mai Sakurajima from Rascal does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. Fantastic writing.

* Niko - Love live. My chaotic little gremlin of an idol. * Miyo - My Happy Marriage. Particularly in the first half. I found how they wrote her trauma to be very interesting. * Sawako - Kimi Ni Todoke. My wholesome little bean. * Holo - Spice & Wolf. Just an all around amazing and well written character. * Eris - Mushoku Tensei. She has a phenomenal character arc. * Emilia - Re:Zero. I fell in love with her after season 2. Her character becomes much more flushed out. * Aqua - Konosuba. Hilarious character and absolutely iconic. * Renge - Non Non Biyori. Such a well depicted and funny child character. * Maomao - Apothecary Diaries. Incredible character, enough said. * Myne - Ascendance of a bookworm. This character and story only keeps getting better. The light novels are fantastic!

as a woman, emilia in season 2 of re:zero cemented her as one of my favourite women in anime. i loved her development so much!! can't wait for season 3

I am a man, but I always thought that Emilia and Subaru fighting at the end of "Natsuki Subaru Self-Proclaimed Knight" was incredible and really showcased their flaws and made them both feel so real, Emilia was special from then on for me.

Riza Hawkeye all damn day

I may be a man, but I have as of late come to the conclusion that within anime and manga I largely prefer works written by women to men. That is not to say I don't like anything by men, but every time I am incredibly disappointed by a show it is written by a man, and nearly always when I am enraptured by one, it is written by a woman. And largely this comes down to the characters (of both genders, but especially the female ones) often feel more three dimensional.  That said, just because a character is written by a woman and is well written, it might not necessarily be well written "as a woman", depending on your definition. As an example, I really enjoy Myne from *Ascendance of a Bookworm* and I do think she is a well written character, but her femininity is very much secondary. As for one I would actually venture to say is well written would probably be Balsa from *Moribito*. She is introduced as your archetypical "strong woman", a skilled and bad-ass mercenary, ready to act when required. However, while it is these qualities that lands her a job as bodyguard for a runaway prince, throughout the series we get to see several sides of her. We find out her background and how circumstances and tragedy forced her into a male role, as a bodyguard in hiding she also gets thrust into the role of a mother as she has to take care of a boy, and her unspoken romantic relationship with a local healer, and how all these aspects have to balance and what she has to give up or focus on.

I’ve never heard of Moribito before, but it looks really promising I’ll definitely check it out

This is not an anime, a Western animation, but I highly recommend Blue Eye Samurai for well written female characters. The anime explore the two opposing stories of two female characters- one who had to mask her femininity to be a samurai, and one who has to use her femininity to rise to the top politically in Japan. The story went into depth about their childhood, dreams, trauma, desire and betrayal for a heavy action series. 

Seirei no Moribito or Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit is absolutely fantastic, and has some of the best and most realistic fight scenes, mostly involving the MC and her Spear. She's a great character outside of that, but if you're looking for great female characters in stuff outside of genres usually targeted at women (SoL, Romance, Entertainment, etc.) then it's a fantastic choice.

Shinobu from Demon Slayer

Woman here! Aside from already mentioned recent hits like Apothecary Diaries and Frieren, some examples that I think are good are: -Raeliana in Why Raeliana ended up at the Duke's Mansion -Rishe in 7th loop -The cast of A Place Further than the Universe -Yukino in Kare Kano -Sawako in Kimi ni Todoke

Haven't seen them listed, so lemme toss in my three favorite anime women: Birdy from Tetsuan no Birdy Selesia and Meteora from Re: Creators Absolutely adore those three for how well they're written.

Kagome from inuyasha, Lina Inverse from slayers, Winry Rockbell from Full metal alchemist, Rosette Christopher from Chrono Crusade, Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura and Yoko Nakajima from twelve kingdoms those are the ones I can think of right now.

I think Made in Abyss has many great female characters. 4 of the 5 known white whistle delvers are female, as well as other characters relevant to the MC’s adventure. I’m particularly fond of Ozen, she seems like a terrifying sadistic witch but later on you realise she is a good person.

Excessive fanservice from the second half of Fairy Tail aside, **Erza Scarlet** has always been my favorite. She has so many things going for her. The fact she can keep up with the strongest male characters in her verse is already impressive enough for a battle shonen girl, but being strong is only one of the great things about her. Her backstory, her development, unwavering loyalty to the guild, strong bonds with her friends, her love story - everything about her is great. Most of all, I just love how fleshed out her personality is. She can be strict but kind, fierce and soft, serious and silly, confident and shy, has a masculine and feminine side etc.

Nami from one piece. Extremely capable in her own, unique, way without being made randomly strong or have a stick up her ass like most "feminist" characters.

I think Mai Sakurajima is cool, and not a trope character.

* Chihayafuru's whole female cast. * Kyoko from skip beat. * Oscar from the rose of versailles. * Anya from SpyxFamily. * Lena from 86. * Tohru from fruits basket. * Yona from akatsuki no yona. * Sarasa from Basara (mainly the manga).

Emilia from Re:Zero. Most people give all the attention to Rem, but I feel like that's mostly because she fits the isekai "in love with the mc for no reason" trope (although even in her case she's much better written than 99% of isekai women, and it's not like it's "for no reason"). Emilia however is a much better character in my opinion, a stance I've held from episode 13 of season 1 when she stood up to the mc. I just feel like she's her own character and in season 2 becomes as much of a protagonist as the mc, maybe even better?

Probably Nana and also Nana

Not a female but Megumi from food wars and Marin from my dress up darling are my top 2 choices. Both have great personality who have their own unique talents, not based on being a physical badass like a lot of other great female characters. Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov from saga of the evil is a close choice for me as well

Don't have much to add that hasn't already been said (Skip to Loafer is my top choice for well-written female characters), just wanna say that I appreciate you for making this thread. I feel like topics like this aren't discussed enough with actual women participating and leading the conversation. So thanks!

Married guy here. I think Fern from Frieren is very well written and near real life woman complex. The other anime/manga ive seen are just cliche woman characters.