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Unfortunately, this means that a lot of shows don’t represent female anime characters in a strong and powerful light — but they have the potential to do so. The incredible female characters who do shine in the spotlight in their shonen anime deserve some major recognition for standing out.
Updated on November 3rd, 2022, by Suzail Ahmad:The anime industry continues to grow year after year. With so many new anime being released, it is difficult to keep track of every single one. It is hard for an anime to stand out, so the creators spend a lot of time on their respective series to ensure that they have the quality that will ensure their success. It is common knowledge that females were not always well-represented in anime, but this has changed in recent years. The newer anime series pay more attention to female characters and give them enough abilities to compete with their male counterparts. With that in mind, we have updated the list with some of the strongest female anime characters.
18 Kagura (Gintama)
Kagura joined Odd Jobs after she was run over with a scooter by Gintoki. As a member of the Yato clan, she is far superior to humans in terms of physical strength. Kagura’s Yato lineage allows her to fight the strongest of characters without any problems.
She has displayed her strength several times in the series, but she rarely goes all-out in fights because of her kind nature. If she loses control of her emotions, she becomes a ruthless killing machine. She is considered to be a lot stronger than an average Yato, which makes her one of the strongest characters in Gintama.
17 Charlotte Linlin (One Piece)
Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, was one of the Yonko, making her one of the four strongest pirates in the series. She ate the Soru Soru no Mi, which is a paramecia-type devil fruit that allows its user to steal the souls of other people.
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After stealing the soul of a person, Big Mom can use it to boost her own strength or to create homies, who fight for her. In addition to the powerful devil fruit, Big Mom could also use three types of Haki, which made her an extremely dangerous character. Big Mom’s skin was so tough that she had never been scratched in a fight. Furthermore, she was able to fight against Kaido without any problems.
16 Lisa Lisa (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Lisa Lisa is one of the main characters from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency. She met her son, Joseph, when he came to Venice to learn about Hamon. Lisa Lisa took him and Caesar under her wing, and she also assigned Messina and Loggins to supervise them.
Lisa Lisa was a talented Hamon user whose power scared Kars and forced him to use underhanded means to defeat her. Lisa Lisa never got a chance to show off her full power, but considering that she was trained by Straizo, it is safe to assume that she was undoubtedly a very powerful fighter.
15 Retsu Unohana(Bleach)
Retsu Unohana used to be the Captain of the Fourth Division of the Gotei 13. She was a veteran who had amassed a great deal of experience during her service. Retsu was also considered to be the best healer within Soul Society, and she learned the art of healing from Tenjiro Kirinji, a Royal Guard.
Retsu’s swordswomanship is just as good, if not better, than her healing abilities. She had mastered almost all the sword fighting techniques, which allowed her to overwhelm her opponents without any problems. She fought against Kenpachi numerous times, and she managed to beat him almost every time. Retsu also possessed a keen intellect, and she would always assess the situation before jumping into a fight. All these qualities make her one of the strongest female anime characters.
14 Nobara Kugasaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Nobara is a powerful jujutsu sorcerer in training with some impressive skills. Even from the start of the anime, when she is barely 16 years old, she already possesses incredible skills far beyond the main protagonist Yuji. She has incredible mental fortitude and can beat down lower cursed spirits like it’s no big deal.
Even as a first-year at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Nobara has the potential to combat special-grade curses and can even surpass upperclassmen with far more experience than her. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with.
13 Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer)
Mitsuri, or the Hashira of Love, is a Demon Slayer in the Demon Slayer Corps with extraordinary strength and abilities. From the age of one, she had an amazing amount of strength that made her seem nearly non-human.
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Mitsuri is very nimble and fast while also tough and muscular, having a muscle mass that is nearly eight times the density of a regular person. She completed the Final Selection in an unbelievably short time and is a master swordswoman with skills beyond some of her fellow Demon Slayers.
12 Milim Nava (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
This destructive force is one of the strongest and deadliest demon lords and can transform from a cute pink-haired girl to a fierce dragonoid. Viewers shouldn’t let her initially adorable appearance fool them.
When her beloved pet dragon was killed in war, Milim obliterated an entire country all on her own. She has the nickname “Destroyer,” which is quite fitting for how much damage she can deal without breaking a sweat. Thankfully, she ends up on the protagonist Rimuru’s side and uses her immense power for good (most of the time).
11 Lucy (Elfen Lied)
Lucy is a member of the diclonii, a species that branched off from humans with incredible strength, horns, and invisible destructive arms called vectors. After dealing with a tormented past and a life of sadness and violence, Lucy killed an enormous amount of human beings with her undetectable power.
Lucy is always at risk of having a murderous outburst and spent the majority of her terrifying childhood slaughtering entire families due to her initial hate of humans. She is powerful, hard to catch, and has nearly unbeatable abilities. Her story goes much deeper than just being a killer, but her power is scary nonetheless.
10 Mikasa Ackerman (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan is of the few popular shonen animes whose women are just as valuable, well-rounded, intricate, and powerful as the men. Mikasa Ackermann is a strong, intimidating girl who protects Eren and those she cares about.
She is terrifyingly tough from childhood and grows up to become the second most skilled Scout in the entire world, right after her older relative, Levi. Mikasa rarely gets injured, has an impressive kill count, and is always there to rescue those in need.
9 Mirko (My Hero Academia)
The Rabbit Hero, Mirko, proves her immense strength time and time again. She’s the highest-ranked female Pro-Hero in My Hero Academia, consistently rising in rank over time. Her quirk gives her enhanced strength, incredible hearing, boosted speed, great agility, and high pain tolerance.
Mirko is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat, utilizing her powerful legs to beat down her opponents. She takes on multiple Nomu at a single time, something no other hero has been able to do. She’s well deserving of her spot as a top Pro-Hero.
8 Misa Amane (Death Note)
Misa Amane doesn’t have any magical combat skills or experience in fighting. Instead, her power comes from her passion, wittiness, and of course, from her Death Note. Misa made the deal to get the power of Shinigami Eyes, allowing her to see the name and lifespan of anyone she looks at.
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This gives her an edge on her enemies, as she can write down any person’s name after seeing their face. Misa makes this list because of the sheer number of people she has killed. And in the world of Death Note, she is the most deadly human being to exist, next to Light.
7 Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Izumi is a master alchemist and master martial artist. She is easily one of the physically strongest characters in the series, having immense skill in hand-to-hand combat and using weapons. Her alchemy skills are impressive as well, and she is highly intelligent when it comes to using alchemy for good.
Izumi’s best attacks were often followed by her painfully spitting up blood due to a failed Human Transmutation in her past. However, she eventually overcomes this internal trauma and continues to be the toughest Fullmetal Alchemist woman.
6 Akame ga Kill (Akame ga Kill)
Akame, the titular female protagonist in Akame ga Kill, is the toughest member of the group Night Raid. She wields two masterful swords that make for deadly attacks, and her physical power is almost superhuman.
Akame can slice through people as if they are water. She moves quicker than any human should be able to, defeating her enemies without giving them a chance to fight back.
5 Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)
Erza is an S-Class Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild and a part of Team Natsu. She excels at swordsmanship, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. She also boasts incredible endurance, reflexes, durability, strength, and intelligence. Erza is famous for being the only sword Mage so efficient at re-equipping weapons and armor during a fight.
She has over 100 different armor to utilize in battle. Erza also can use Telekinesis, combining the ability with her proficiency in Sword Magic to control her swords remotely and sending them at her enemies.
4 Merlin (Seven Deadly Sins)
Seven Deadly Sins’s take on this character is a very skewed version of Merlin from the story of Camelot. She is a mysterious figure who reveals more and more of her godly power as the show carries on, helping defeat some of the most terrible villains in the entire realm.
Her magic is stronger than any other character so far. Not to mention, her intelligence surpasses that of even Goddesses and Demons, having outwitted the leaders of both races. Her power level is utterly frightening, but she uses it to make sure her comrades and friends are safe.
3 Kale (Dragon Ball Super)
Kale is a pure-blooded Saiyan whose power is unmatched by any other female character in Dragon Ball Super. She can even overpower some of the toughest male characters in the show. Though usually timid, she unlocks a more violent personality when she enters her Super Saiyan state.
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As Kale unlocks her more powerful Super Saiyan abilities, she goes up against even tougher opponents and even walks out unscathed by Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue Kamehameha. Kale even kept up with Goku in his Super Saiyan God form.
2 Tatsumaki (One Punch Man)
One Punch Man has a collection of godlike heroes, including Tatsumaki, the S-Class Rank 2 professional hero in the Hero Association. She is recognized as one of the strongest heroes of all time and leads as the most powerful esper.
Tatsumaki uses her mighty psychokinesis powers to defeat even the most deadly of enemies. She can also use these impressive powers to levitate and create magical barriers.
1 Kaguya Otsutsuki (Naruto)
The ultimate celestial being from the Naruto universe, Kaguya Otsutsuki was the very first wielder of chakra and later became the Ten-Tails. Kaguya ate the fruit from the God Tree and obtained incomparable chakra and strength. She is able to merge with nature to fully control it, fly, and read people’s thoughts.
After gaining the power of Ten Tails, she has nearly no weaknesses. Kaguya created an entire army and ruled over the land using people’s fear of her immense power. When it comes to powerful women in shonen anime, this celestial is a hard one to beat.
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