Summary

• Female-led anime series offer diverse storytelling and strong characters.
• Highlights include Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Canaan, and The Twelve Kingdoms.
• These series showcase women in leading roles across various genres like fantasy, action-thriller, and isekai.

It's no exaggeration to say that some of the best anime feature strong female characters. Anime is an incredibly diverse media that has something for everyone. Whether the audience is looking for an action-packed, battle-oriented story with larger-than-life characters who possess all kinds of cool powers, or a down-to-Earth, heartwarming tale of everyday life with a relatable cast of characters, there's a whole list of anime to choose from.

From mystery thrillers to magical girl adventures, these are some of the best female-led anime series of all time.

With that in mind, female leads aren't exclusive to magical girl or shoujo outings, either, as plenty of quality romance, isekai, and action-thriller series prominently feature women in leading roles.

30 Darling In The Franxx's Female Hero Makes Up For Its Lackluster Writing

Anime Series by Studio Trigger & A-1 Pictures

Of all the eccentric and overall entertaining characters of Darling in the Franxx, none have stood out more than its female lead, Zero Two. Zero Two's intensity and aggressive impulses are what make this anime so much fun to watch, and the depth of Zero Two's character does a lot to make up for the various shortcomings of Franxx's script.

The soundtrack also helps to boost this show's ratings along with other strong female characters like Ichigo, Miku, Kokoro, Ikuno, and, of course, their Franxx, which are every bit as important to the series as their operators.

29 Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Is Already A Landmark In Fantasy Anime

Anime Series Produced by Studio Madhouse

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End uses its high fantasy setting to tell a poignant story about dealing with loss and the importance of forming meaningful connections with others, and that, naturally, results in Frieren being a character who always grows as a person and can always showcase how good a person is expected to be. Add in how she's always more than capable of fending for herself, and Frieren is bound to go down as one of the best female protagonists in all of anime.

28 Canaan Is Action Thriller At Its Finest

Anime Series by P.A. Works

When a photographer is on the hunt for her next big story, she finds herself investigating the strange happenings at a local carnival and pulled into a conspiracy about a deadly virus. An old friend who happens to be a mercenary, the titular Canaan, comes to help her. Of course, Canaan is also out to get former teammate Alphard, the antagonist of her story.

Canaan is the rare anime where the strong female protagonist, the damsel in distress, and the antagonist are all layered and complicated women who ally and come into conflict with one another repeatedly.

27 Black Lagoon Is the Cowboy Bebop of the Mid-2000s

Anime Series by Madhouse

The beauty of any anime series featuring strong female protagonists is that it can manifest in more cerebral or low-concept affairs or ultraviolent spectacles like the modern pirate anime Black Lagoon. One of the main characters at the center of this anime is Revy, a trigger-happy mercenary with uncanny fighting ability. However, living such a dangerous life leaves Revy with little space for vital components of the human experience, including emotion.

Revy's skills in combat include deadly hand-to-hand skills, along with her iconic mastery of dual-wielding Beretta 92Fs with deadly accuracy. Yet, her character is fascinating and far too foul-mouthed to be anybody's poster girl. Despite this, Revy's look and personality embody Black Lagoon perfectly as an overcharged Cowboy Bebop-like series in a modern setting.

26 The Twelve Kingdoms Is A Great Take On The Isekai Genre

Anime Series by Pierrot

High school can be hard enough on students without them suddenly being transported to a whole new world where their status as an Earthling makes them a wanted fugitive, but that's exactly what happens to Youko Nakajima in this 2002 isekai anime.

Based on a novel series that began a decade earlier, aspects of The Twelve Kingdoms are definitely dated, but watching Youko grow from a whiny teen into a full-blown strong female protagonist is worth it. The anime also features a great musical score.

25 Made In Abyss' Dark Writing Makes For An Incredible Story

Anime by Kinema Citrus

Made in Abyss is a classic story of adventure at its core, driven by the curiosity of its main character Riko. Riko has spent her childhood looking up to her mother, an explorer who vanished into the mysterious Abyss soon after Riko was born. So when Riko receives a letter from her mother telling her to come to the bottom of the Abyss, Riko jumps at the chance.

While she may not seem like a typical strong female character, the strength Made in Abyss' Riko shows in the face of adversity makes her one of the strongest anime protagonists, regardless of gender.

24 Chihayafuru Makes An Obscure Card Game Fun To Watch

Anime Series by Madhouse

Chihayafuru is one of the more niche anime on this list, focusing on the obscure Japanese card game of karuta. However, it is hard not to get invested in the game when seeing how ionate the show's protagonist Chihaya is about it.

Chihaya's ion also draws many of the show's other characters to the sport of karuta, making her the anime's most important character. Chihaya is one of the most unique strong female protagonists on this list and she makes Chihayafuru compelling despite its niche subject.

23 Kill La Kill Is Still One Of Studio Trigger's Best Works

Anime Series by Studio Trigger

The story of Kill la Kill is about Ryuko Matoi, a girl who sets out to find the one responsible for her father’s death and exert her revenge. She ends up at the Honnouji Academy, an elite school where clothes are a crucial element of its competitive hierarchy.

Kill la Kill relies heavily on clothes to explore themes like fate, freedom, and sexuality—hence the weird costumes. But it’s also immensely fun and hilarious with tons of stunning action and one of anime's strongest female protagonists.

22 From The New World Is Incredibly Inventive Dystopian Fiction

Anime Series by A-1 Pictures

Set in a dystopian future society where humans have developed psychic abilities, From the New World is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Saki Watanabe as she narrates the events from her childhood. Saki’s world is an isolated society of psychic humans that's bound by complex rules and shrouded in mystery.

It’s abundantly clear that there’s much more to things than meets the eye, and the audience follows Saki and her group of friends as they unearth the dark truths about the nature of their society, and that reveal will leave fans with plenty to think about.

21 Fate/Zero Finally Gave The Fate Franchise The Anime It Deserved

Anime Series by Ufotable

Saber is essentially the mascot of the Fate franchise, and Fate/Zero is one of her strongest showings. A prequel to the original Fate/stay night, the series shows what Saber was like before her debut, and in addition to being just as powerful and competent as before, Fate/Zero takes the time to truly explore the emotional weight of Saber's past and her struggles to overcome it.

While it might be a prequel, the success of Fate/Zero paved the way for the Fate franchise to become the major success it is today, and Saber's writing undoubtedly played a big part in that.