Top 10 Best Female Anime and Manga Characters

Anime and manga have given us some of the most unforgettable characters of all time. From fierce warriors to brilliant strategists to kindhearted healers, female characters shine through with their resilience, determination, and depth.

But who are the absolute best? The ones who make you laugh, cry, and cheer them on every step of the way?

Are you drawn to complex personalities wrestling with big choices? Do you love a good underdog story? Maybe you're all about characters with unwavering loyalty and kindness. Whatever qualities make your favorite character stand out, this is your chance to celebrate them.
The Top Ten
1 Hinata Hyuga (Naruto) Hinata Hyuga is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto.

People will argue that if anyone from Naruto should be #1, then it should be Sakura because her character is the most realistic, since she makes mistakes and grows. If you are a fan that has read until the latest Shippuden manga chapter, then you know this is far from true. Sakura Haruno does not deserve this spot because she, in fact, does not change at all. Whenever it is time for her to experience a story arc, it's exactly the same: she wants to stop playing the support role and fight in the front lines with her friends. For the time being, she does just that, but afterwards, nothing changes, and she's right back where she started.

((spoiler alert) In the middle of the war against Obito and Madara, she obtains the First Hokage's ultimate regeneration jutsu, allowing her to recover from any injury. She fights a couple of monsters, and then what does she do? She goes back to aid the wounded as Naruto and Sasuke create an awesome collaborative jutsu to attack and destroy the Ten-Tails directly. She's been storing chakra since she started training with Tsunade for that very moment, and then she barely uses it.)

But that's enough about Ms. Haruno. Hinata is the best because she actually changes. At first, Naruto was her inspiration. Because of her family's ways, she believed that she wasn't destined for greatness and that she wouldn't amount to much of anything. She is shy because she thinks that nobody will think much of her, that she's insignificant. Naruto's brave and persistent words and actions inspire her. She gains confidence from him and slowly realizes her love for him. Plus, she actually becomes more active in the front line of battle. She masters techniques that her child prodigy of a brother could not.

Her character goes through all these changes, but she is still too shy to openly declare her love for Naruto, and that is what makes her Hinata Hyuga. That's what makes her the best female anime character.

2 Bulma (Dragon Ball Z) Bulma is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. Bulma is the most significant female character in the series.

Bulma is the best anime girl. She is a genius who made a Dragon Radar when she was five. She could drive an alien spaceship when she was five. She made a laser gun when she was five. No other anime girl can do that. I don't think Hinata can even make a toy gun at the age of five. And most importantly, Bulma melted Vegeta's heart. The heart of an evil Saiyan Prince who was willing to destroy the Earth. In Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta didn't dare to say anything to Beerus, but when Beerus slapped Bulma, Vegeta's anger was unleashed, and he turned Super Saiyan. Can any other girl melt the heart of an evil Saiyan? Bulma rocks. She is fashionable and a genius. And where the heck is Android #18 on this list?

Like Goku is an icon of male anime characters, Bulma is the iconic anime girl. And she doesn't even need to be a fighter to be relevant and is one of the most important characters in Dragon Ball Z. She's so smart and adventurous! Not to mention she can stand on her own.

3 Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail) Erza Scarlet is an S-Class Mage from the infamous magic guild Fairy Tail. Erza starts off as a lone wolf and stays loyal to following the rules. As the story develops Erza changes into loving mage strong and independent. As her terrible past haunts her she ignores her Nakama's calls that they want help. Erza's past starts with her working to build the dangerous tower called the Tower of Heaven also... read more

She is the best anime/manga girl EVER! She's beautiful, sexy, smart, and strong. She is by far the greatest swordswoman ever. When she's fighting, it makes her look like a fairy dancing in the battlefield. The fairy that is supposed to have already fallen to earth. She is Titania.

Talking about her past, she has the saddest past in Fairy Tail (from me). Her childhood crush used her as a sacrifice to revive some emo psychopath mage. Even though what Jellal did to her, she forgave him. And even during her fight with him, she still hopes that she can knock some sense into him and still bring back the Jellal that she knows.

Not just some pretty face, she also has a pretty heart. She's like an elder sister towards Natsu and Gray and a loving but strict mother towards the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild. By far, she is the prettiest Fairy Tail girl ever. I love her, and I don't know how many times I cry whenever her past comes up. Such a strong girl, not just physically, but also emotionally.

4 Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan) Mikasa Ackerman is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Attack on Titan, also known as Shingeki no Kyojin in Japanese, created by Hajime Isayama. She accompanies the main protagonist Eren Jaeger. Her most notable feature is the red scarf that she wears. She is one of the most strongest characters in the Attack on Titan franchise.

She is beautiful and badass at the same time. She has a tragic past, but she doesn't let it bring her down. And she will do whatever it takes to keep her comrades safe. She's my favorite character.

She cares about others too, not just Eren. She has got so much character development during the series, which makes her even more lovable.

Great female anime character.

5 Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist) Riza Hawkeye is a fictional character from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa.

Riza is totally badass. A lieutenant in the military, and not called the Hawk's Eye for nothing! She will shoot you down with deadly accuracy if you lay a hand on those she cares about. May seem to have a cold exterior but actually has a very warm and caring heart.

Yes, she is strong, and she's real. She's not just "sexy" like some of the others. She's real and has emotions. She's not useless like Sakura, and she has goals and dreams, plus she can fight. She's definitely the best.

I thought she was a guy at first. Strong, badass, and good with guns.

6 Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist) Winry Rockbell is a main supporting character of the Fullmetal Alchemist series. A close childhood friend of Edward and Alphonse Elric since their young life in Resembool, she is almost like a sister to the two and essentially their only family. An amateur surgeon and mechanical repair specialist/enthusiast, Winry is Edward's rear line support as his personal automail engineer and mechanic, making... read more

Without Winry, Ed and Al wouldn't have been able to reach their goal. She's a badass, strong character who has been through a lot, but still moves forward. As someone else had said, "Yes, she cries, but everybody does." Winry should be higher on the list.

Badassness packed in a non-fighter. For a female lead character, she doesn't really come out as useless or weak. Yes, she cries, but everybody does.

I love her personality. She definitely helped Ed and Al remain sane most of the time.

7 Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z)

Who doesn't love 18? She is a total badass, who used to be a major antagonist "Deadly Beauty" who kicks Super Saiyan Vegeta's ass with ease and now has switched sides, becoming a Z fighter who fights against evil. She's sassy and incredibly funny with her sarcastic comments.

She is underappreciated and awesome. How many people can say they kicked Vegeta's ass and lived? She is beautiful and strong enough to blow up planets. But be careful, or she will con you out of your cash!

She's badass and can actually kick most of the guys' asses.

8 Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)

Rukia is my idol!

I definitely find her among the top most impressive female anime characters out there! I love how strong and smart she is. Even when she's at her weakest point, losing her powers, her sense of duty and moral to protect people never wavers. She truly has a big heart. And despite her cool attitude on the surface, I consider her to be very kind, generous, and humble, especially during her character development after meeting Ichigo.

Plus, I love how she's a badass tomboy with nerve and a surprisingly strong sense of humor. She's small but fierce, and that makes her beautiful! She should have her own Shonen series!

There's a lot of anime female characters, but I chose Rukia. She's simply the best. She's strong, beautiful, and is a badass.

Rukia is one of the best females ever in anime. She's funny, kind, has good character development, and a badass ice-type Bankai. Just the best.

9 Saeko Busujima (High School of the Dead)

The best swordswoman (sorry Ezra), best hair, most courageous, sexiest Manga woman - yet she still lets you see she's also a scared and vulnerable teen.

She's one of the most kick-ass characters of all time! Love her, her sword, and her wonderful techniques.

10 Nico Robin (One Piece) "Devil Child" Nico Robin is a fictional character of the One Piece manga franchise created by Eiichiro Oda.

In my opinion, she's better than Nami.

The Contenders
11 Nami (One Piece) Nami is a fictional character in the One Piece franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. She is based on Ann and Silk, two characters from Oda's previous manga Romance Dawn.

Nami is so much better than the overrated Hinata. Nami is brave, beautiful, strong, useful, loyal, and had a sad backstory. Hinata is just a walking fan service. People only like her because she loves Naruto so much and because of her physical attributes. Hinata is so annoying for me, sometimes even useless, while Nami at least saved Luffy's life, not only Luffy's, the whole crew's lives, only with her job as a navigator. In the fight with Ulti, Nami knew she would die but didn't betray Luffy's dream.

Nami has an awesome story, and she's so sweet at heart. Please vote for her. People say she is annoying, but she has gone through a lot!

Her cleverness and short temper are funny, but she's also kind-hearted and innocent. Well, not that innocent, and her obsession with cash is just great. Haha.

12 Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha) Kagome Higurashi is the main female protagonist of the anime/manga series Inuyasha, equaled only in importance by Inuyasha himself.

She's cute, nice, and funny! Sure, she might be a little unreasonable, but it all stems from her never-say-die attitude. Even though when she thought that Inuyasha would choose Kikyo, she decided to stay with him to protect and fight alongside him. She would suffer from heartbreak if she stayed, but she stayed anyway, even after Inuyasha forced her to go home.

I think she should be first because no matter what happened, she was always there when Koga or Inuyasha got hurt. Even though she got kidnapped by Naraku when his arm got hurt, she still stopped Inuyasha from hurting him.

Kagome is a kind-hearted and sweet girl. I love her the most in Inuyasha.

13 Lucy (Elfen Lied) Lucy (born as kaede), is a tragic, fictional Japanese Anti-Heroine, and Anti-Villianess, who is the main protagonist of her debut source, a manga officially known as Elfen Lied [alfen leed], written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto, which was best known for it's T.V. adaptation of the same name, Directed by Mamoru Kanbe, and written by Takao Yoshioka, she, Japanese wise, was voiced by Sanae Kobayashi,... read more

No contest, the rest don't even compare with Lucy.

Nobody can compare to Lucy. She should be much higher on the list.

14 C.C. (Code Geass) C.C. is the pseudonym of a fictional character in the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series by Sunrise. C.C.'s real name is never shared with the audience, despite eventually being learned by protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge.

From what I've seen in Code Geass, C.C. definitely deserves a good spot on this list. She is beautiful, smart, and cool. She has her own flaws, which makes her more irresistible. I'm glad she isn't very low on this list. Though I do wish she would earn a higher spot.

Plus, Code Geass is a good anime, I have to say!

15 Sakura Haruno (Naruto) Sakura Haruno is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto.

Beautiful, strong, fierce, and independent young women. In the world of ninjas, washed out of their emotions, packed in superpowers, and trained by their clans since birth, she's definitely the most humanized character. She falls in love with a complete douchebag who ends up trying to kill her (twice!), cries, lies, makes mistakes, because, seriously, who doesn't? She's no Mary Sue. She grows up fast, trains hard, and supports her best friend the most.

Yes, she smacks him down when he's being an ass or pervert, but remember, she's also the only one of his friends to actually see him turn into a killing machine and, instead of being scared for herself, she runs towards him, risking herself, to help him out and comfort him. And did I mention that she helps kick the ass of one of the biggest villains of the story, takes a giant centipede down with a single hit, and is the one to discover the secret of the enemy's army, which kinda saves the lives of thousands of people?

She's a very skilled fighter and healer, is caring, loyal, brave, defiant, has confidence issues, and is easy to anger. She doesn't take crap from guys and puts them in their place when they deserve it. She's a legit badass and a great inspiration for young women.

16 Yoruichi Shihōin (Bleach) Yoruichi Shihoin is a fictional character in the Bleach manga series and its adaptations created by Tite Kubo.

By far the most badass female anime character, and she's hella gorgeous.

Sexy and badass. The only dark-skinned girl I like in anime so far.

17 Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop) Faye Valentine is a fictional character from Cowboy Bebop who first appeared in the third episode Honky Tonk Woman who was a wanted bounty head who later joined the bounty hunter group along with Spike and Jet, she's arrogant, opportunistic, grumpy and lazy and despite her appearance she's actually 77 years old following an tragic accident that claimed both her parents Faye was severely injured and... read more
18 Ran Mouri (Detective Conan)

Although Ran can be a bit tsundere, she is loyal, loving, and always puts everybody before her, whether it be Shinichi, Conan, the Shonen Tantei Dan, or strangers. The fact that Ran waits ten years (in the OVA 09) should put her at the top of the list, despite always complaining about Shinichi coming back and the pain she feels having to wait for him, and also having to wonder if Shinichi actually will come back for her. Some people may say that Ran is quite stereotypical or that she is a cliché anime character, but she is one of the characters who has shaped female anime characters throughout the twenty years the anime/manga has been going on.

I love her. She has a beautiful personality. She's waiting for Shinichi after all this time, and she loves him. Ran always helps others in many situations. ShinRan is the best couple ever, after all, she's one character from Detective Conan.

19 Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)

At first glance, she may seem to be a crybaby, clumsy, naive, scatterbrained, lazy, selfish, immature, and overeating. But actually, Usagi is a really strong, determined, kind-hearted, and brave heroine who can be pretty serious when she is fighting.

There's more to Usagi than meets the eye. A combination of goofiness and ethereal grace, she's a mystery, she's one of a kind, and by far the most inspiring anime heroine of all time.

I love Usagi! I do admit she was a bit of a crybaby in the earlier seasons, but I still love her. In the later seasons, she becomes much stronger and isn't as much of a crybaby. I will always love Sailor Moon.

20 Maka Albarn (Soul Eater) Maka Albarn (マカ・アルバーン, Maka Arubān) is a Scythe-Meister and the daughter of Spirit Albarn and his ex-wife. After witnessing her father cheating, she was inspired by her mother and she became determined to follow in her footsteps and became a Meister. Maka partnered up with the "Demon Scythe" Soul Eater, in an attempt to create a Death Scythe more powerful than her father. She is currently... read more

She is very powerful, strong-willed, just an overall amazing character. Not to mention she is someone everyone counted on in Soul Eater. She also is funny, cute, skilled, fierce, caring.

Because she's simply awesome. And to all of you that don't like Maka, I have just two words to say: MAKA CHOP. Laugh out loud.

21 Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia)
22 Konata Izumi (Lucky Star) Konata Izumi is one of the main characters of the Lucky Star series, and is the leader of the Lucky Star crew. She is the daughter of Sojiro Izumi and Kanata Izumi, and lives in her house in Saitama prefecture near Tokyo. Nicknamed "Kona-chan" by Tsukasa, she is an eccentric but friendly person.

Why is she ranked 71? She's amazing! She's the epitome of every girl who likes manga and anime. She's relatable. She's also funny, smart, and cooks well. She's just a well-rounded character! Yeah, she doesn't kick ass like some of the other characters on this list, but you can tell if given the chance that she totally would!

I can relate to her even though I'm a guy. Super funny! She should be ranked near Haruhi Suzumiya. Hardcore otaku and old gamer!

23 Enma Ai (Hell Girl)

How can you not love her "Ippen shinde miru"? A great character with a great background and an amazing voice.

24 Chihiro Ogino (Spirited Away)
25 Revy (Black Lagoon)
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