The List
7 Deadly Anime Maids
by Lynzee Loveridge,
Maids have waxed and waned in popularity over the years but they've never completely disappeared. There was a time when maid anime ruled the roost and battle maids were just another type within the very popular character trope. When I first tackled the topic in 2015, there were some glaring omissions from the deadly servant list. Ever a sucker for completeness, now seems the perfect time revisit anime's deadliest maids, especially since one particular character is practically everywhere right now.
Ozel (Slayers Revolution) Some maids are hired and some are built. Ozel looks a lot different than my Roomba though. Actually, Ozel doesn't do much cleaning at all, she's more interested in following her directives like fighting The Slayers for her master Rezo the Red Priest. Her durability in battle is not to be trifled with, one of the pros of being a robot is that traditional attacks don't really work, at least not permanently. She also possesses a hidden rage toward other jars—kinda like Link on a bender in Legend of Zelda. These jars don't contain rupees though, they house human souls.
Mey-Rin (Black Butler) Mey-Rin isn't a very good maid, let's just get that out of the way. She's incredibly clumsy and usually dropping or breaking something at any given moment. She plays the good-natured, bespectacled klutz role pretty well, but it's mostly just a thin veneer for a well-trained killing machine. Mey-rin, like the rest of the servants under employ by Ciel Phantomhive, doubles as a bodyguard. Her specialty is firearms and she can shoot down foes from great distances. She doesn't even need her glasses, they are just something she wears out of admiration for Sebastian who gave them to her as a gift.
Leticia Draculea (Problem children are coming from another world, aren't they?) Working as a maid for the No Names is actually several steps up for Leticia, who was passed around and subjected to pretty horrible treatment by Laius Perseus. The problem children of No Name rescue her and she gladly agrees to become their maid. Oh, but she's also a pure-blooded vampire. A 1000-year-old vampire (yes, the joke applies here) and that has given her countless days to hone her swordsmanship. She can control darkness, fly, create wind attacks, and can never truly be disarmed. She can also summon a dragon, so maybe it's just better to leave her be.
Kogarashi (Kamen no Maid Guy) Espers are supposed to have a sixth sense, right? Some kind of honed psychic ability to tap into the unconscious, manipulate physical objects, or perceive the future. That's child's play for Kogarashi, a monstrous man in a maid outfit with 37 senses. Here's a guy that can cook, clean, keep all your electronics properly charged, and still be absolutely terrifying. Kogarashi never gets sick and while he is dedicated to his job he also runs amok of social expectations and regularly finds himself being beaten by whomever he unintentionally offended.
Virgo (Fairy Tail) I'm not sure why an alternate universe being would visit another world and decide to dress as a maid, but better to roll with it than get on Virgo's bad side. Virgo can take on different appearances, and at one point had a "gorilla" form; a towering, buff version of herself. Regardless of which form she takes, Virgo is a tough cookie. She is adept in Earth magic, can manipulate the chains around her wrists to use as weapons, and when worse comes to worst, she can rely on her combat skills. The immortality helps too.
Pleiades (Overlord) You're about to take on the last boss of a dungeon, you just have to defeat his personal entourage first and their maids. Homunculus maids with no experience in dusting, vacuuming, or laundry. Instead, the Pleiades are a troupe of sisters whose only skills are in destruction. The team is helmed by Sebas Tian, whose actually a butler, followed by Yuri Alpha. As her name implies Yuri is second in the running and her giant Bowser arms could probably crush a man's skull if needed.
Rem (Re:Zero) This soft-spoken best girl is a demon in disguise. Armed with a morning star, Rem will crush anyone who threatens her, her sister, or Subaru as needed. She can pull in mana from around herself to heighten her attacks, heal the wounded, and manipulate water for magical attacks. Rem's strongest asset is her devotion to those she cares about, winning her scores of fans even if it doesn't win her Subaru's heart.
The new poll: What's the best OP of the Winter 2018 season?
The old poll: What anime license rescue are you holding out for? A lot of top entries were already licensed so in case you didn't know: Hunter x Hunter, Azumanga Daioh, Baccano!, Fruits Basket, and the original Gundam series are all legally available in the U.S. on home video.
- Evangelion
- Monster
- Paranoia Agent
- Angel Beats!
- Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
- Bakuman.
- Zoids Series
- Urusei Yatsura
- Tokyo Mew Mew
- Saiunkoku Monogatari
- Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
- Rave Master
- Hajime no Ippo (Fighting Spirit)
- Hikaru no Go
- Maison Ikkoku
When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as the Managing Interest Editor for Anime News Network and posts pictures of her sons on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.
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