Forum - View topicStrongest female character in an anime.
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the Rancorous
 Posts: 2248 Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys |
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Physically, of course, but honestly she lacks one major element which I include in my criteria for strength of character; self-control. Aisha has none at all. She was haughty as a Ktaro-Ktaro(sp) officer (spoiler[which lead to her demotion]), and she sure as hell has no control over her emotions (especially her anger), and she is flat out stubborn (you may call it persistence, but I call it stubborness). Jim: "That lady's got no tact!" and that pretty much defines her in a single line. But, she continuously comes through when it really counts, so she's not a weak character.
I can agree with this. Aside from their skill and craftiness (only highlight if you've seen all of Noir or don't care to have the biggies of its plot spoiled for you) spoiler[in the end, they defied the Soldats' rule and decided to carve their own path in life. Instead of giving in to the ways and orders of the powerful, they defied them and the strengths gained from their bond and experience prevailed. Plus, coming to grips with such a past as Kirika being the killer of Mierielle's parents, well not too many people could get past something like and be able to look at it rationally to see who is truly to blame. Altena and Chloe sure couldn't, both of them were trapped by their pasts and fashioned mindsets which ultimately lead to their demise.] Of all the characters in Noir, Mierielle and Kirika were the ones who were truly strong in character. I'm actually surprised that I do not see Kirara from Samurai 7 being listed. This girl's will was set and she put aside everything else in order to save her own village. Where the men of her village cowardly hid their faces, she stood tall and set out to recruit samurai to fight the bandits. Also, her strengths were what convinced Kambei that she stood for a worthy cause. In episode 3 she spoiler[throws herself off of a ledge in order to force Kambei to save her, thus proving to him that he still held the same honor that he had in the war]. And don't forget during the actual battle at the village when she spoiler[offered herself as payment for the villages' safety. Bound and held infront of the enemy, she spat her mind at their leader; a giant machine that could crush her like an insect and she fearlessly let him have a peice of her mind.] Like Kikuchyo said, "She's got more guts than most warriors I know!" If that doesn't make for strength of character, then I don't know what does. Oh yeah, and I can definitely agree with what's been said about Balsa and even Tohru Honda for that matter, nice choices there  .
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Craeyst Raygal
 Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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Honestly, for physical strength it's hard to beat Eiko Magami from Project A-ko.
As a result of being the offspring of Superman and Wonder Woman, A-ko is unbelievably strong, fast, and agile. Those wristbands she wears? Not just an homage to her DC mother, they're restraints that keep her full power in check, because otherwise she's an absolutely uncontrollable force of nature. She's anime's original sailor suit wearing supergirl, and to leave her out of this list is criminal. |
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leftbehindxp
 Posts: 142 |
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There are a lot of series with strong female leads. Gundam Wing (Relena was weak for most of the series, but came STRONG in Endless Waltz), Witchblade, Noir (Mireille Bouquet and Chloe), Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy, Nausicaa, Paprika, Neon Genesis Evangelion (Misato), Code Geass (C.C.), Gurren Lagann, Moribito, Kite Liberator, Mezzo Forte, Madlax (Madlax and that chick {haha the whole series is full of them!} who wants to kill her through the whole series), Najica Blitz Tactics(Najica), Samurai Champlo (Fuu).
But, I have to say my favorite character of all time, but a typical choice: 1. Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell 2. They need to be intelligent, both with knowledge and how they conduct themselves. Physical strength is badass to have, but not a necessity to have in order to be a strong female character. Will power is something good to have, makes them more reliable. Having goals and/or dedication towards something that must be done is a strong characteristic. 3. For me, most of the time badass does associate with a strong female lead because she is doing something that requires a lot of strength (that could be physical, mental, or whatever else may fit). But most of the time action does go along with badass. 4. Strong qualities are the same with either male and female. A female does not have to be a tomboy or whatever inorder to be a strong. Just having a strong sense of one self or strong personality can equal strong. Close Seconds: Relena, Mireille Bouquet, Nausicca, Paprika, Misato, and Kite Liberator main lead. |
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Showsni
 Posts: 641 |
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Is spoiler[Mew] even female? It seems pretty ambiguous for most spoiler[Pokémon, and it's genderless in the games.].
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Shichimi
 Posts: 349 |
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I'd like to nominate Agent Paper from Read Or Die. She has an unusual power, that she has to make use of in imaginative ways in order to win. She's also quite bookish, so she has smarts as well.
I think she's probably a good example of someone pushing themselves forward despite the danger, and despite the fact she's not some 'badass' heroine. ... Pokemon have sex? Argh, wait, that doesn't sound right.  
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_Earthwyrm_
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Yes, they all have sex (gender ), apart from most of the Legendaries and a handful of exceptions (e.g. Magnemite).
Mew has no gender, but it is hypothetically the 'mother' of all pokemon. |
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mangalore
Posts: 20 |
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Which is why I would exclude (hope I did) Revy, but Balaika seems to me extremely strong because essentially all her emotional attachment was shot. She's cunning, brutal and calculating side and a few things that keep her going. In contrast to Revy she knows all you say and thus doesn't care about the things she has to do to keep her little world together. Though I agree with your resentiment. The whole show is esentially about failed people afterall.
Though at least in the Anime I found Seras to be more of a comic-relief with big breasts. I'm not sure about Integra because she is really radical and fanatical in her obsession. To put in comparison to Balalaika in terms of female leaders Balalaika at least knows that what she does is in a big mess. Integra comes off as a little overwhelmed to me, covering it with extreme resolve. Now, I can't blame her, she set a nasty big, powerful vampire free and can't be sure who uses who. |
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Zeriercahl
 Posts: 10 |
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Well, Haruhi Suzumiya for reasons previously stated.
And Lina Inverse because of spoiler[Giga Slave] and some other ridiculously powerful spells at her disposal. But I think you are all forgetting someone here. Lain from Seriel Experiments Lain who by the end of the series spoiler[can pretty much manipulate reality including peoples minds to her will.] Still though, no one could ever beat Haruhi Suzumiya in a fight. She's pretty much the most powerful fictional hero ever, female and otherwise. |
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farruinn
 Posts: 122 |
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I'm not so sure that's the case since she doesn't realize she has this power. If she were confronted with an obstacle, she would try to handle it as a normal high school girl, not as some spoiler[all-powerful, omnipotent deity.] Maybe it's different in the novels, but that's my opinion based on the anime. I will agree, however, that she has a strong personality and that counts for something. |
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RhymesWithEmpty
 Posts: 208 |
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I saw Winry get mentioned a while back, but I haven't seen anybody mention Riza Hawkeye yet - personally, I think she's probably the strongest of the Fullmetal Alchemist women. Winry's a good character, but she's got her own set of insecurities. Riza, on the other hand, is incredibly skilled with a firearm, very strong willed, brave, doesn't hesitate to put herself in the line of fire to protect the man she loves, and definitely has a strong sense of responsibility regarding her duties, militaristic or otherwise. I'm very excited to watch her slightly expanded role in the manga plays out in the new FMA series.
This might seem a bit crazy, but I also think Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion is a good example of a strong female character. Yes, she has her fair share of inner turmoil and insecurities(who doesn't in NGE?), but I think those aspects of her also serve to make her a lot more realistic than many of the other candidates, and the fact that she acknowledges her problems, confronts them, and is still able to carry on with her work at NERV and do what needs to be done in high pressure situations like she does, well, I think that shows a lot of strength. Her past is a good example of that - at first, she had gone mute out of shock after second impact, but she soon overcame that to eventually become a very headstrong major at NERV. And really, I doubt most normal people would be able to do what she does, so it really is a testament to her determination that she has so much baggage and still manages to pull it off
Also, another good point to make - she's not always merely commanding people from behind the lines. In episode 7, spoiler[she risks her life to stop a giant nuclear powered robot from running amok and melting down and whatnot, and succeeds(wasn't sure if this required spoiler tags)]. And picking Shinji up in the very first episode wasn't exactly a walk in the park either, so I think it's pretty well proven that she can definitely take action and get things done on her own. I think that makes her pretty badass. This same argument could be made for Asuka, I guess, but I think that would be making the mistake of confusing strength for childish arrogance and extreme brashness, save for maybe at the very end of the series, and even then, I think she's only just begun to grow up. Misaki Kirihara from Darker Than Black is another very strong female character, in my opinion. She's a policewoman, and the chief of her own little section thing, whatever the technical title for it is, so she's obviously very strong willed, and sees her fair share of action. Really, being a police officer is one of the bravest things you can do. And her strength goes beyond that, as a character, when she stands up for what she believes in - she definitely seems to have a strong sense of ethics that she never deviates from. This especially shows in the final episode, when spoiler[she finds out her boss, the Chief of the entire police department, is a member of a syndicate which was planning the genocide of the contractors, and refuses to help him cover up the murder he's just committed, and in fact plans to reveal everything to the public, despite having a gun pointed at her, soon after practically being strangled to death by him.] She's a strong leader, she can take action, and she has unwavering morals. Strong female character? Check. Amber, from the same series, is also a pretty strong female character, but she spends most of her time cloaked in mystery, which kind of stunts her character development. And I've definitely got to agree with Balsa, although she has been covered pretty well. As for these female characters being more masculine than other female characters, I think Misato is the only one who is ever really falls into being tom-boyish, at times, and even then, she can also be rather feminine as well. So no, I don't think masculine traits are a requirement for strong, badass female characters. As for who I'd pick as the strongest out of all of these characters...I really don't know, heh. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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That may be so to an extent, but regardless of whether it's Ultimate or the manga Seras has been used for comic-relief. It's just not as sexually intriguing in the manga as it is in the anime. But she's had to go through a lot too, as spoiler[her parents were killed when her police officer dad dug a little too deep.] Not only that but then spoiler[one of her parents' murderers decided to use her mom to commit necrophilia. And that was in revenge to getting his eye forked out by her.] |
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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Riza's way up there on my list too, for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned - she's probably second only to Motoko Kusanagi, who is practically a goddess and has the advantage of a rough childhood to make her extreme nonchalant kickassness even more impressive. One of the reasons I'm looking forward to the new FMA anime is that I know I'll get a lot more Riza, especially since I preferred her character in the manga. In the anime she was a bit too formal and stiff all the time - while her character in the manga still has that formality, she's also a little more relaxed and human in casual situations, which makes her even more badass. Speaking of strong FMA women, no love for Izumi Curtis yet? She's basically the awesome adopted mom you never even knew you wanted - she doesn't take crap from anyone but is still caring and fiercely protective of the ones she loves. I would say that pretty much her only fault is her pride - she's so aware of the strength that everyone else sees in her that she doesn't want to look weak by asking for help from others. Still, she's definitely one of the stronger anime females out there. |
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Generic #757858
 Posts: 1354 |
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Nobody has mentioned captain Fee Carmichael from Planetes yet? Not a main character, but she certainly fits the bill. What sets her apart though is that she managed to a have a family too without giving up her independence and life style.
Plus her mad laughter in ep. 12 was just priceless .
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RhymesWithEmpty
Posts: 208 |
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Ah, man, Izumi just totally slipped my mind, I seriously don't know how that happened. True, she does have a lot of pride, but she is one of the most badass female characters out there, so I can't fault her too much And even while she's a very aggressive character who's quick to anger, she also shows that she's capable of forgiveness and tenderness...sure, the brothers have to take a beating before getting a hug from her, but still Her one big weakness, I think, is Wrath. spoiler[First, there was the mistake she made of trying to bring him back to life(although I can't really fault her for that, either, and I think it only speaks to the strength of her love, much like the brothers' love for their mother), but then she takes it further and surrenders him to the gate, leaving her with an absolutely unshakable feeling of remorse for the rest of her life, even to the point where she's ready to let him kill her. And even when she finally does try to take responsibility for him, she doesn't really do anything more than chase him off. Really can't blame Izumi for being so weak on that subject, though - it's amazing she's even strong at all otherwise, with all of that on top of the fact that she's missing some internal organs, heh.]
And Izumi definitely has one of my favorite lines out there, one that exemplifies her awesomeness - when she's raiding the Devil's Nest, one of the lackeys says something like, "Who is this woman?" "I'm a Housewife!!!" As she beats the snot out of them. Love it. And who can't love her furious chalk dance from the manga? Unfortunately, her role in the manga is otherwise reduced, so, unlike Riza, we'll probably actually be getting less about her in the new series. |
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An1fr3ak
 Posts: 235 Location: Australia |
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While i cant say im familiar with all the female characters being mentioned before i made this post, depending on the way 'strong' is perceived i would agree with most nominees. Though while i read through the posts it was obvious that some names are still missing. If i didn't see some of the characters im about to mention, forgive me
Hikaru Minamoto from otogi zoshi for those who are familiar with the series - spoiler[she replaces her brother in the first part of the anime and goes on dangerous missions to save the world and also upholds her families honour while in the second part of the anime, even though she is faced with unknown dangers, she fearlessly seeks her lost brother and the mysteries that surround him] Lia de Beaumont, D'Eon's older sister from le chevalier D'Eon. spoiler[While she is already dead, when she possess' D'Eon's body to extract her revenge, we are shown how strong she really is. As we learn, she sacrificed herself for her country in the attempt to protect France from its enamies in a time when women were not to be so brave of heart and she shows herself be very passionate and patriotic] Caska from berserk. spoiler[She is the only female member of the infamous mercenary group 'the hawks' and its third best combatant after guts joins the band. She thrives in an all male environment and is respected by all members of the band. She also has excellent leadership qualities and is fearless in battle.] Kagome, Kikyo and Sango from inuyasha. Most should be familiar with them. They all battle demons, whether they be actual demons or inner demons. Fuu from Samurai Champloo. Enough said lol Shana from Shakugan no Shana. A powerful fighter who does her job extremely well. She struggles with all the conflicts external and internal, but still does what she needs to do. Maya Natsume from tenjho tenge. The most powerful girl we she in the series. She looks after and protects her little sister, spoiler[while trying to move forward despite all the burdens she carries from the past. The leader of the smallest martial arts group in the school, she defies any and all odds to protect whats important to her.] Finally, Sakura and the Tsunade from NARUTO/SHIPPUUDEN. LOL. I could have gone on and on but these are my prefered characters from what i had in mind. I also got lazy as you all noticed so there you go. Hope you enjoyed my insight on this topic |
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