Anime has no shortage of awesome female characters. From manga-inspired Attack on Titan’s Mikasa Ackerman to Kuroko no Basket’s Riko Aida, anime is full of women who are amazingly badass, and not just because of their ability to fight, but because of their stellar personalities, myriad of talents, and important roles in their series.
However, sometimes it feels like women don’t get quite enough attention when it comes to anime. Sometimes, they’re forgotten in the narrative. Others, there’s just not enough time to explore them in a series. Many of them could fill an entire series on their own; here's seven such characters who deserve a chance to have the spotlight to themselves.
Celty Sturluson in Durarara!!
Cool, mysterious, and literally magical, Celty (Miyuki Sawashiro) is a Dullahan that patrols Ikebukuro, helping out when the supernatural begin to cause problems. Throughout the series, she’s had plenty of chances to show off her combat skills - using weapons created with her own will - as well as her intelligence, both traditional and emotional. She’s made connections with most of the important people in the city around her and has proved her importance in the story time and time again by aiding them. However, unlike other characters in the series, such as Shinra, Shizuo, and Izaya, her early life is a mystery. It would be awesome to see a series about her life prior to Durarara!! to get a better understanding of what she was doing while she was in Ireland and how she lost her head, her travel to Japan, and how she met her fiancé, Shinra.
Akane Shikisai in Special 7: Special Crimes Investigation Unit
Special 7: Special Crimes Investigation Unit had a short run of only twelve episodes, which sadly means that Akane (Yuko Kaiba) remains unexplored. Akane is a vampire with a gentle, motherly disposition, but don’t let that fool you; she is the battle operations expert of the Special 7 and an ace with a sword, specializing in close quarters combat. While we do get a quick glimpse into her personal life, we don’t learn much other than the fact that she has a very loving husband. It would be amazing to see a little more of what she does with the Special 7, including how she got her position, as well as how she became a sword expert and what her home life is like. It would also be great to know why she chose combat as her specialty given her calm and soft-spoken personality.
Maria Momoe in Big Windup!
A baseball ace with the grip strength to juice oranges, Maria (Risa Hayamizu) is the baseball coach of Nishiura High School. She is a confident woman who loves her team and would do anything for them, including spending a lot of her own money to help them buy supplies. Not only does she support them monetarily, though; she also provides them plenty of support emotionally, especially in the cases of Abe and Mihashi, and of course, she hones their baseball skills and works hard to take them to the Koushien. She’s hardworking, tough, and a great leader, and she has no problems putting people who look down on her in their place. Big Windup! does give us a glimpse into Maria’s past, but she absolutely deserves a series centered on her that shows her high school baseball career, her journey to becoming a coach, and her long string of odd jobs.
Torpedo Girl in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
A literal bombshell, Torpedo Girl (Hiromi Nishikawa) is exactly what her name suggests: a torpedo. No, seriously! She’s part of a group of warriors known as the Legendary Idiot Killers, and she isn’t exactly fond of jokes and silliness; in fact, when she sees it, she’ll attack the jokester without hesitation. Despite her seriousness, she is also rather affectionate and romantic in this Cartoon Network show. She sees Bobobo and his companions as children she needs to act as a teacher to (after their initial issues,) and even offers to train Gasser. Even more interesting is the fact that she actually shares a body with OVER, and she only appears once OVER has become full of angry energy. That alone warrants her own series, one that would hopefully explain how she and OVER came to be together and highlight some of her adventures, both in battle and in romance.
Amelie Azazel in Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
A demon that runs Babyls with an iron fist, Amelie (Saori Hayami) is the student council president, and she does not take that responsibility lightly. She’s serious, strict, and by the book, using any means necessary to keep the students in line and the school running properly. Her strong will allows her to make use of her family ability, Romanticism - a form of self-hypnosis that can allow her to unleash her full power at will - without the worry of it causing her pain due to fear or hesitation. Though, she’s not all hard lines; she has a soft side, and is always fair and just in her leadership, helping anyone in need. The girl is going places, and it would be great to see her in a series all her own about life after Babyls and the great things she goes on to do. Though, it would also be great to see more of her life in Babyls, as well.
Tamako Inada in Silver Spoon
Smart, driven, and great with all things money and math, Tamako (Ayahi Takagaki) is a businesswoman at heart that sees the potential in every opportunity. She’s an expert in agricultural management, both from her upbringing on a cattle farm and from her time at Yezo Agricultural High School, but more than anything, she enjoys coming up with business plans and helping farmers grow their operations. She’s honest and blunt, almost to a fault at times, but she believes in being factual and precise. She also doesn’t let anyone tell her to lose weight or stay thin; she enjoys being fat and feels her best that way, and that’s all that matters to her. It would be awesome to see a series about the things she’ll do after graduating; the world probably isn’t ready for a businesswoman like her, but there’s no stopping her, so it would be fun to see her take over the world…one farm at a time.
Holly Kujo in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Let’s be real: Holly (Reiko Takagi) deserved to be a featured Jojo on Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Unfortunately, she isn’t. We won’t be (too) bitter about it. Holly is a rather selfless woman, compassionate and caring to everyone around her, from her son, Jotaro, to random strangers. She is incredibly charming, kind, and sweet, and everyone around her enjoys her presence. While she was given a Stand briefly in Stardust Crusaders, it was too powerful for her to handle and caused her to become sick, and it disappeared once DIO was defeated. After Part Three, though, she largely disappears from the story, and that’s a crime, especially given that Jotaro continues to appear in each part following Stardust Crusaders. Holly deserves a series exploring all the things that happened to her post Part Three…what if she actually had a Stand, and we never knew? What if Jotaro’s dad actually came back? So many questions! We need answers!