Two things have been at my back of my mind for a while now. The first is the low number of posts here. The second comes from a pub discussion about Faye Valentine, in that most female leads seem to be aimed at a target audience of men. So here we are, my attempt at encouraging debate on the forum. Please note, I'm playing devil's advocate, nothing which follows represents my opinions.


The Question
Does anime give, what we in the west, would recognise as good female role models? If, so, which characters? And do cultural differences make this question moot?


The Evidence
Case Study 1: Belldandy


The oldest character listed here, Belldandy is noteworthy for having a personality befiting of goddess, and for possibly the best example of a Magical Girl Friend. I continue to wonder why Belldandy accepted her enforced engagment to Keichi, and did not to try to find a way out of the contract, or even whine at length. Then again, she is appearently the emodiment of the old japanense female ideal.

Case Study 2: Yoko


Ah, Yoko, an awesome character from an awesome series. An Action Gril extraordinare, who can forget her resolution to a hostage situation, and the many, many times such took down a giant robot without using one herself. She is however the designated Ms Fanservice, fated to see the deaths of only two men ever to take an interest in her, and falls into a "traditional" women's job, a school teacher.


Case Study 3 & 4: Haruhi and Mikuru


Another awesome series, and one that's clever enough to know what cliches and stereotypes its invoking. With this in mind, you do have to question Haruhi's treatment of Mikuru.

Case Study 5: Hazuki


Let's ignore aside the issue of Lolicon and related trends, as its a whole other kettle of fish. As is my dislike of the series. Let's instead comment on how Hazuki starts out as a self-confident poweful vampire, and becomes progresively more helpless as the series goes on, so Kouhei can rescue her.

What do you all think? The number of women at the club has increased a lot over the last year, I'd like to here from you.

i believe there are not many positive female role models in amine but that's to say there are none, another thing is even though a woman my be portrayed as powerful and self confidant they are usually fan service for the guys at some point a few examples

Major Motoko Kusanagi ghost in the shell

she is one of the most prominent females roles in anime in my opinion she is a strong leader, a formidable fighter and a good shot but that's not to say she has no weakness in several episodes you see her mind under immense pressure and see her biting her nails when she is under stress i think it makes her a more believable character as she is not invincible she gets wounded several times and does need her teams help, but then she is also very much eye candy for male viewers her costumes are tight and skimpy and in a few ceases she uses her sexuality to her advantage but all around i fell she is a positive role model

caska berserk

Caska is the only female warrior in the anime. She is very loyal to Griffith. She admires Griffith as her hero that saved her from an imperfect life of battles and the depraved perverseness of weak deceitful Noblemen aska Is stubborn, head-strong woman who's skills as a warrior, are unmatched in the band of the hawks, saved for two, Gatts and Griffith. she plays a huge role in both the manga as a driven force for Gatts, though the manga she is portrayed as strong and willful until the second half but i don't want to spoil it for anyone who haven't read the books

Having thought about it, I'm not to sure about the Major, although I don't have that much experience with the character. In the Manga she often comes across as fan service incarnate, and in the first two movies she's so cold as to be inhuman (deliberately). SAC version is better, mind you, but I the the Major is a character better discussed in terms of the human condition rather than gender issues. (Can she even be classified as female anymore?)

As for Caska, well, you're right. Some really nasty things happen to her, if what I've read is correct. I have no experience with that series, but it is listed under Chickification. It's tricky to hold someone up as a role model when said series strips those characteristics from them.

Been meaning to get round to this thread some day.

Couple of strong female leads for you then, first up:

Balsa from Seirei no Moribito



Very similar in personality to Major Kusanagi from GITS, except much more of a mother figure.
She has that air about her of someone who has been through life as a warrior (and she has killed many people, something which she spends her life atoning for) and has come out the other side knowing just how much value life has, and how true strength is found in protecting rather than destroying.
Unfortunately she still manages to have a feeling of, hmm, aloofness?, about her though which still makes her hard to relate to as a character.

Strong, but slighly untouchably strong.






Second one for you is my new favourite, Ogata Rin from Rideback.



Still early days on finding out about her character, but she’s proven so far to be one of the strongest “real” anime heroines I’ve encountered so far.
Raised as a ballerina in the shadow of her famous mother, Rin’s dancing career is sidetracked by a calf injury.
She’s a quiet girl who never seems to let her past fame affect her affable nature, she’s a caring person who values her friends. There’s a air about her though, modesty and self awareness but with a core of strength which initially we get to see with her determination in learning the Rideback, but really comes to the fore when she has to save a friend from a terrorist incident.

She’s the kind of person who doesn’t give a second thought to doing what must be done to help the people she cares about; none of this bullshit bravado, shouting machismo, or emo angst that’s inherent in so many male leads today (and to an extent mirrored in what some think are strong macho female leads).

No, instead she has that quiet determination, that extreme focus that comes from her years of training in ballet and her strength of spirit. It’s the kind of strength you can really see in someone’s eyes, the kind that you know will move mountains if it’s for a cause that matters. It doesn’t seek to overpower of dominate, but it leaves you breathless in its resolve. That it comes from such a “nice girl” character like her, yet increases her inherent beauty instead of detracting from it, really hammers it home for me.

It’s people like her I have a profound respect for, and I’m really happy to see a character like her as an inspiration in anime.