| You can take this several ways. Are the strong women not "using" their strength due to them being women and not show-off Bro-types? There's some realism in that. Men are typically more prone to show-off physical ability, or at least that's the stereotype. How much of that stereotype is due to cultural conditioning is a question that most sociologists still cannot answer well. |
SU1 said: Try reading Teppu, pretty short too.When you think strong male lead, you immediately think of your typical shounen hero, who is determined, sometimes overpowered but physically strong, utterly capable and wants to help the world that they live in. Why can't we have this sort of vision of girls in anime too? I prefer a strong character and physical strength is secondary but some great female leads are Motoko from Ghost in the shell, Balsa from Seirei no Moribito and Re-l from Ergo Proxy. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| yes the "braves or has a headstrong attitude" is also the definition i'd go with because it can exist in an anime that is not about supernatural kids fighting |
 |
| Physical strength isn't the only kind of strength there is, and I personally don't like overpowered characters at all. In terms of strong leads, I'd rather have a character who can be outwardly strong for others (emotionally or mentally) even if they are actually weak internally. |
 |
| To me "strong" female lead suggests a female lead with a strong presence and character first and foremost. Physical strength, bravery etc. are only extra features that may or may not add to the character depending on how they're used. |
| Proud founder of The Official Anti-Ging Freecss Fan Club Join now! Kellhus said: GuusWayne said: there is a limit to the suspension of disbelief And it's the fan that did it. Not the smoking porn reading rubik cube genius rape ape with a magic boat. |
| I've been wondering after this for awhile, @SU1 . For 'strong' male leads the question seems a little less obscure but for 'strong' female leads it's a little more complicated because a whole new realm of factors appear. Shy, reserved, indecisive female leads can sometimes appear as only such - but then a deeper - more sophisticated side can just as equally secretly exist only within. This makes for a boring character, though imo - certainly not a suspension from the ordinary - or even worth remembering. According to your definition, one of physical strength, lol i have no fken idea. To this day i've never discovered an anime where i've looked forward to a Female lead's action. If i have, ive forgotten ... drowned out by all the artificial female leads who give off that 'compensating' "GIRLPOWER" vibe. I've enjoyed countless female action outside of Anime which makes me suspicious of what possible Japanese cultural conditioning has led to anime creating such petty female-leads (in an action sense). My definition is a little different of 'strong' female leads, and here's my list - that quite sadly barely ever grows. If ever in doubt of finding interesting female characters ... only look to Studio Ghibli - they dominate above all else in that regard i think. -Nike Remercier -The World Is Still Beautiful -Yona Yona of the Dawn - Rukia Kuchiki Bleach -Re-l Mayer Ergo Proxy (fan of her but not the anime -Sophie Hatter Howls Moving Castle -Victorique de Blois Gosick |
“Join my wander, to a yonder. In search of the meaning from mystery & wonder ... And when tragedy finds us, and breaks our bodies, we'll find peace in one shared mind.”  |
| I dunno, but this kind of stuff seems to be directly related to culture, and women's role in society in general... I might be wrong though... AholePony said: You can take this several ways. Are the strong women not "using" their strength due to them being women and not show-off Bro-types? There's some realism in that. Men are typically more prone to show-off physical ability, or at least that's the stereotype. How much of that stereotype is due to cultural conditioning is a question that most sociologists still cannot answer well. Ohhh there you go OP... Seems like someone explained it well than I did. |
| Because Japan has a very sexist culture and for them men and women are really separate things with different gender roles, and there goes the fact that men are more related with power while women are not seen in that way. Which is really stupid since without training both men and women are equally powerless while with training both are equally strong. If you want to see really good strong female leads in anime, Seirei no Moribito's main character, Balsa Yonsa is the best there is in that way. Though I'd like this to not be the exception and have more women main characters in more action series, which could be actually refreshing for, well, any genre. Canaan is a show that does this well, but it's not good as a story. Then there's Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia does this pretty well too, and there's of course Black Lagoon, Ghost in the Shell and some more I'm forgetting because bad memory. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
SU1 said: Try Teppu? The mc is a bit of a sadic and pretty much the opposite of the usual anime female stereotypes.Yes, and that's what I mean. I don't remember what the manga was, but I DO remember that the MC was annaturally strong compared to both boys and girls, but due to the fact that she's a GIRL, and she wants to be CUTE, or wants this BOY, she doesn't use these abilities, and instead tries to hide it. I know that it's normal for girls to want to be cute and all, but surely a girl who learnt these fighting abilities would want to use them. I want a girl who is strong also in the way that she flips stereotypes about girls. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I'm not a fan of a strong female lead that is just a copy of a male lead with titties. I prefer a character like Sarasa from Basara who gets the shit done but she's struggling to keep her identity as a female hidden while leading a revolution, sometimes she just want to be a girl in love. Other strong female leads beside the ones already mentioned: Nausicaa from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (manga) Gally from Gunnm |
Johnnyd3rpFeb 14, 2017 1:18 PM
 |
| y'all need to watch Keijo!!!!!!!!!!!!! the savior of anime |
Cross  AngeHey guys check my profile for current airing season anime recommendation (guaranteed best taste) |
Wander_Wolf said: Physical strength isn't the only kind of strength there is, and I personally don't like overpowered characters at all. In terms of strong leads, I'd rather have a character who can be outwardly strong for others (emotionally or mentally) even if they are actually weak internally. Yeah some of the characters like this are actually incredibly strong when it comes to their endurance for emotional pain, their true strengths are squeezed out of them by being put under a pressure so fierce, that your average buff hero male lead type would definitely crack under. |
 |
SU1 said: I always loved reading manga, or watching anime about good, strong female leads, but everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that actually means. For some people, it's just a girl who is braves or has a headstrong attitude. For ME, it's when a girl is physically strong and wants to use it. (I have read too many manga, where they are strong but don't want to be, or try to hide it). When you think strong male lead, you immediately think of your typical shounen hero, who is determined, sometimes overpowered but physically strong, utterly capable and wants to help the world that they live in. Why can't we have this sort of vision of girls in anime too? What, are you kidding? Anime is full of strong female leads like that. I could mention dozens... Belldandy from Aa! Megamisama! Akame from Akame ga Kill! Yuri Nakamura and Kanade Tachibana from Angel Beats! Casca from Berserk Revy and literally every badass woman from Black Lagoon Saya from Blood: The Last Vampire and eventually Saya Otonashi too from Blood+ Black Rock Shooter from Black Rock Shooter Dokuro Mitsukai from Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan Canaan and Alshaya from Canaan Clare, Teresa, Irene, Galatea, Miria anyway too many, too too many to mention warrior women from Claymore. Kallen Stadtfeld and CC from Code Geass Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop Lee Lenalee from D.Gray-Man Mina Tepes from Dance in the Vampire Bund Ame Tachibana from Denpa teki na kanojo Celty Sturluson from Durarara!! Nadie from El Cazador de la Bruja Lucy from Elfen Lied Re-l Mayer from Ergo Proxy Rin Tohsaka and Saber and Rider and Caster from Fate/Stay Night Nadya Ruslanova from First Squad Yomi Isayama and Kagura Tsuchimiya from Ga-Rei Zero Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell Victoria Seras and Integra Hellsing from Hellsing Hyatt and Excel from Excel Saga Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou from High School DxD Saeko Busujima from High School of the Dead Ai Enma from Hell Girl Koko Hekmatyar from Jormungand Youko Nakajima from the 12 Kingdoms Supreme Goddess of Badassery Shiki Ryougi from the Kara no Kyoukai Nausicaa from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Kino from Kino's Journey Mumei from Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Miyu Yamano from Vampire Princess Miyu Deedlit from Record of the Lodoss War Michiko Malandro from Michiko to Hatchin Yuno Gasai and Uryuu Minene from Mirai Nikki Rin Asogi from Mnemosyne Asuka Langley Soryuu from Neon Genesis Evangelion Kirika Yuumura, Mireille Bouquet and Chloe from Noir Holo from Wolf and Spice Albedo, Shaltear Bloodfallen and Narberal from Overlord Ein from Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom Balsa Yonsa from Guardian of the Sacred Spirit Lain Iwakura from Serial Experiments Lain Shana from Shakugan no Shana Makina Hoshimura from Shikabane Hime Amira and Jeanne D'Arc from Shingeki no Bahamut Arcueid Brunestud, Ciel and Akiha Tohno from Shingetsutan Tsukihime Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena Maka Albarn from Soul Eater Yoko Littner from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann All these are either determined and confident or very powerful in terms of skills and abilities and in anyway, they scream 'Girlpower!' like nothing else. And these are just from the anime I've watched and you haven't... there are plenty, plenty more to go out there. |
| Signature? I ain't got no signature! I don't need no signature! I don't have to show you any stinkin' signature! |
| I like female leads with both physical and emotional strength, while still having room for growth and development as a character. |
| Homura could probably benchpress a couple hundred pounds considering she's Satan or something. She has to be buff and strong to retain the title. |
| every single one of my forum posts is dumb and invalid except for 1, I don't claim them it was a different person it was all fake |
| I don't like how some people see strong female character as in a tough girl who has a diminished or nearly non-existent feminine side. A girl can be strong and still show her feminine side, and that's what i like . |
 |
| Since many people played the card of the female cyborgs, I will add Naomi Armitage (Armitage III). A globally famous example would be the witch Lina Inverse (Slayers). I thought about more, but I forgot the names inbetween. ^^" edit: Juliet from Romeo X, Chise from Saikano (she even says herself that she's growing stronger) |
| I don't think gender is really an issue here, if your character is written poorly its gonna be shit regardless of gender. The "tough" girl is just another lazy stereotype and shows poor writing. |
 "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -Friedrich Nietzsche |
| You could try reading Claymore, those are the the type of characters you're looking for |
| no |
MohitVermillion said: Because Japan has a very sexist culture and for them men and women are really separate things with different gender roles, and there goes the fact that men are more related with power while women are not seen in that way. Which is really stupid since without training both men and women are equally powerless while with training both are equally strong. Sorry but it is ectually proven that Men and women are not equally strong with equal training. There is a reason why men and women soorts are divided. |
| A strong lead is a main character that fits the show perfectly, and can carry the show if the show is actually shit. Physical strength has nothing to do with it. |
 |
| Wait till 2019 When Jojo Part 6:Stome Ocean gets an Anime Adaptation |
| Sup... |
| I liked the lead in Nodame and I thin she also fits in this category. |
MohitVermillion said: Because Japan has a very sexist culture I've heard this point raised before and i'm a little confused at exactly how this is the case @MohitVermillion . If women aspire for career and independence their Constitution should protect them from harassment the same as ours. This statistic Hereshows a +10% increase in female employment over the last 3 decades (sitting around 45 - 65% of labor-force jobs). Doesn't this go directly against the notion of a sexist culture? Can it not simply be that *some women like or choose to act cute/innocent? Love to hear your thoughts. |
“Join my wander, to a yonder. In search of the meaning from mystery & wonder ... And when tragedy finds us, and breaks our bodies, we'll find peace in one shared mind.” |
| what kind of manga do you read? since they are like ton of them... heck even WSJ that as steriotyped shounen magazine as you can get (not for me, but lot people in here) still have lot this kind of series... |
 "If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
| I don't really care how much STR a character has. It's a physical trait and characters don't exist in physical space. If they're 'strong physically', I only care how it affects the personality, worldview and interaction. 'Strong Female Leads' isn't interesting. What is interesting is a deep, complex female character. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
| My vision of a strong male lead is the same as that of a strong female lead, idk about you. And either way, I tend to classify as to whether I'm talking about mental or physical strength, although admittedly, am your mindset usually defaults to something around 'mental stability' when strength is brought up. |
 |
15poundfish said: agree fam, ange best hest heroine ever.Ange from Cross Ange. She goes from useless princess to total bad ass vixen in a few episodes. She is a great action heroine and really underrated. there is a lesser version of her recently in tales of berseria |
Cross AngeHey guys check my profile for current airing season anime recommendation (guaranteed best taste) |
SU1 said: I always loved reading manga, or watching anime about good, strong female leads, but everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that actually means. For some people, it's just a girl who is braves or has a headstrong attitude. For ME, it's when a girl is physically strong and wants to use it. (I have read too many manga, where they are strong but don't want to be, or try to hide it). When you think strong male lead, you immediately think of your typical shounen hero, who is determined, sometimes overpowered but physically strong, utterly capable and wants to help the world that they live in. Why can't we have this sort of vision of girls in anime too? There already are such series. Watch Revolutionary Girl Utena. Utena is physically strong, but not overpowered, she is just good at sport and ends up fighting duels to help Anthy. If you are additionally interested in series that deals with stereotypes. It is the best place to go. |
| "The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions. How perfectly hideous they are! Except, of course, in the Church. But then in the Church they don't think. A bishop keeps on saying at the age of eighty what he was told to say when he was a boy of eighteen, and as a natural consequence he always looks absolutely delightful." |
| Well I don't mind or care about Female leads such as Railgun I have no real opinion since it does not bother me either way, I don't see why some people don't like strong female leads. |
 |
| If you want overpowered female MCs beating up bad guys try Mahou Shoujo. Or something like Cutie Honey or Kill la Kill. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| Strong has different meanings, and there are different types of strong. However, in this sense, we're talking about anime. If you say strong, people automatically think powerful. If you want a female lead who doesn't use strength but is still admirable, then there are substitute words. These include: wise, strategic, skillful, unyielding, well-developed (if we're talking about character development), or even someone who is a good communicator. There's this stereotype in society where you have to be strong, and if you aren't perceived as strong, then you are weak. That's not true, though. Just because you aren't powerful doesn't mean you are weak. Just because you aren't brave doesn't mean you are scum. Just because you don't work well under pressure doesn't mean that it should define you. It's a label. We, people, like our labels. It helps us when we put people into these boxes... because we can't stand not knowing things; it makes us feel secure to "understand." |
 Three things cannot be long hidden.. ...the s u n, the m oo n, and the tr u th. |
SU1 said: I always loved reading manga, or watching anime about good, strong female leads, but everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that actually means. There are many meanings of strength. Worse yet, some people, like me, automatically think that "strong female lead" means that the character depicted should be strong in a way a real human is strong. Meaning they can cross deserts, kick ass and continue fighting when their comrades are all dead. But other people speak about female leads who are strong as characters, independent of their strength as people. Meaning they take center stage, have a lot of screen time to define their personality (which should shine through her actions throughout the story, not just be told to us in the beginning). SU1 said: For some people, it's just a girl who is braves or has a headstrong attitude. For ME, it's when a girl is physically strong and wants to use it. (I have read too many manga, where they are strong but don't want to be, or try to hide it). When you think strong male lead, you immediately think of your typical shounen hero, who is determined, sometimes overpowered but physically strong, utterly capable and wants to help the world that they live in. Why can't we have this sort of vision of girls in anime too? The problem is, the main archetype for a strong female character in anime seems to be a "strong, but brittle" samurai girl. Her personality is usually tsundere, and while she is good in a fight, she does not have any trump cards to pull out when this strength is not enough. Which happens often. To add insult to the injury, she will easily "melt" and have all kinds of feminine worries when she meets the male lead and gets to know him. Or, alternatively, do into depression saying things like "swordsmanship is the only thing I have". It's not a very admirable kind of strength. Maybe I'm watching too many battle harems, though. (some hentai has a heroine like that too, but it usually starts with her being defeated and raped, which is not admirable either) Fortunately, anime has many different characters, and there are other girls who have different kinds of strength. Many a moe girl is a complete opposite - weak overall, but tenacious. |
| Seirei no Moribito It's the one anime with a both physically and mentally strong female lead. Bourmegar said: Sorry but it is ectually proven that Men and women are not equally strong with equal training. Depends, as soon as you add weapons to the equation, that argument goes out the window. |
| "I'm a middle schooler bartender!" - Mishima Hitomi |
| Speaking of strong female characters, how about Dirty Pair? Are both Kei and Yuri strong? (Yuri is more feminine, Kei is more masculine, but both are dangerous superagents) |
Pullman said: If you want overpowered female MCs beating up bad guys try Mahou Shoujo. Or something like Cutie Honey or Kill la Kill. Kill la Kill has such great characters that you will forget that they're 'strong physically', whatever that means. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
| I would say a strong "anything" lead is first and foremost a well developed character. Someone whose motives are established and justifiable. Someone who isn't flawless. Someone who grows as a person, develops as a character, and shows real progression. What that means for male and female characters may differ based on your sentiments, but generally speaking, a strong female lead for me for not be much different than a strong male lead. Obviously they're going to have different personalities, but it's the depth of their character that matters in determining their strength. For example, I'd consider Onna (Chiyuki) from Death Parade to be a strong female lead. Both Tomoya and Nagisa from Clannad are strong leads as well. I know people will scoff at Nagisa being a strong lead, but strength doesn't mean literal strength. She's a deeply written character with one of the biggest hearts in the world. We learn so much about her that it's hard not to be affected by how the story turns out. |
 |
| A strong female character should be three dimensional with her own strengths/weaknesses, motivations, and character development. It means she shouldn't just be 1) a love interest for a male character, 2) support for a male character, 3) the damsel who needs saving/the goal for a male character, or 4) fanservice. It's okay to be a love interest, but the female character shouldn't be emotionally (or even physically, but especially emotionally) dependent on a male character, at least more than he is with her. Physical strength is not necessary, but it'd be real nice to see female characters who are on the level of their male peers without feeling like they're downgraded or lesser. |
SU1 said: I always loved reading manga, or watching anime about good, strong female leads, but everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that actually means. For some people, it's just a girl who is braves or has a headstrong attitude. For ME, it's when a girl is physically strong and wants to use it. (I have read too many manga, where they are strong but don't want to be, or try to hide it). When you think strong male lead, you immediately think of your typical shounen hero, who is determined, sometimes overpowered but physically strong, utterly capable and wants to help the world that they live in. Why can't we have this sort of vision of girls in anime too? I never really watched that much shounen myself so the shounen hero isn't my mental "default". When someone mentions "strong female character" to me, on the other hand, the thing I'm usually thinking of is "strong" in terms of doing stuff, accomplishing stuff, calling the shots, moving the story forward, having an impact, making things happen, etc.. You don't necessarily need physical strength for that. That can be useful, but sometimes the ability to drive the story forward comes from a keen intelligence (for coming up with plans and schemes that work), skill at operating machinery (e.g. a plane or a mecha), dexterity (e.g. in combat and escape), diplomacy and charisma (for connecting with other people and making them one's allies), diligence/persistence, and other traits. Incidentally I am personally unlikely to use the term "strong" to describe this, instead preferring the term "awesome". (Related, but not the same, is "well-written", when we're talking about how much of a character we find out about and can come to understand. Though sometimes a character need not even be well-written for me to be able to fill in the details about them using my imagination, if the series is sufficiently inspiring.) |
| Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut. |
Tpfang56 said: A strong female character should be three dimensional with her own strengths/weaknesses, motivations, and character development. It means she shouldn't just be 1) a love interest for a male character, 2) support for a male character, 3) the damsel who needs saving/the goal for a male character, or 4) fanservice. It's okay to be a love interest, but the female character shouldn't be emotionally (or even physically, but especially emotionally) dependent on a male character, at least more than he is with her. Physical strength is not necessary, but it'd be real nice to see female characters who are on the level of their male peers without feeling like they're downgraded or lesser. I think it's okay for a female character to depend on another character, so long as this dependence isn't a plot tool. The dependence doesn't arise from bad characterization. Rather, it comes because dependency is a theme you want to explore in the story. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
| The Rose of Versailles has a rather strong female lead, Oscar. She can fight with swords, ride horses and probably fire guns. She also belongs to the royal guard because of how she is. There is an anime adaption. Then there's Tomo from Tomo chan wa Onnanoko and she reminds people of a gorilla because of how strong she is. You can read that but it's romance and comedy. No anime adaption. I don't know if you'll like this and it's an obscure manga, but Matsuri Special features a rather strong girl who works as a pro wrestler (though she has to play the part of a loser). I am not sure if she's freakishly strong but I think she's rejected because of toughness or strength. You could give it a try if you like, it's quite short. No anime adaption though. Mahou Tsukai Kurohime also features a strong female main character, Kurohime. This is an action oriented manga and this one too has no anime adaption. |
| I always think back to how I loved Revy from Black Lagoon when it comes to strong females, whilst not the direct main character I think she plays a large part in progressing the story whilst also maintaining heavy focus of the screen time in the series c: |
More topics from this board
Poll: » So, is anime male or female?Tirinchas - Apr 22 |
44 |
by Gator
»»
31 seconds ago |
|
» Characters you like but everyone else hates. ( 1 2 )Spunkert - May 17, 2023 |
51 |
by Gator
»»
1 minute ago |
|
» something you dislike about your favorite characterKenzolo-folk - Apr 22 |
29 |
by Ratris_Decision
»»
2 minutes ago |
|
» Women tend to have superior anime preferences compared to men? ( 1 2 )Alpha_1_Zero - Apr 23 |
87 |
by Gator
»»
3 minutes ago |
|
Poll: » How much do you consume from the otaku world?castle2001 - Apr 22 |
32 |
by Ratris_Decision
»»
7 minutes ago |