Anime Female Characters: Well-written vs just strong

I’m sure this topic has been discoursed a million times over before, so maybe my take is nothing new. Anime has a track record of not writing female characters very well, and they also often fade into the background over time. Not anime exclusive issue I'm sure, but it’s a very glaring in shounen anime that often use high-stake fights to drive the story.

The two types of female characters in anime

Some authors "attempt" to correct this by writing strong female characters. Justifiably, people make a case that this is not a substitute for well written characters! What ends up happening is a large swath of female anime characters are split into 2 main categories.

The first type is powerful female characters who rival their male counterparts but are poorly written. They have little to no backstory. What drives their actions and behaviors are unclear or not compelling. We don't know what makes them so damn strong. But because they’re strong, they stay relevant to the plot.

The second type is well-written female characters with compelling narratives that drive their behaviors but weak and fades into the background over time or those whose authors refuse to ever give them an indisputable win.

Obviously, these are not mutually exclusive or rigid categories. Sakura from Naruto, for example, managed to be both badly written and weak... If I have to pick between the two types, I personally favor the first type more because, you know what, there are many male characters who get a pass because they are overpowered and regularly aura-farm to look cool. So, yes, I can like female characters just because they’re cool as well. And second, I refuse to indulge in the self-tortured ritual of rooting for a female character I like just for them to be reduced to someone who only ends up screaming for help from the male protagonist. That’s one of the most painful things to witness in anime.

Some good female characters

That being said, there are some really great female characters in anime that balance both of these aspects really well either at one point or over the entire series, and I’ll talk about some of them here.

First, Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail, specifically in the Tartaros arc. I always like her as a character throughout the series. One is she’s funny, but also I like how kind she is and the love she has for her celestial spirits. She also consistently gets a reveal of a backstory in many arcs. And her character story trope has always been one about her relationship with the celestial spirits. But she’s generally portrayed as a weaker character in the show, and often get a faux win in high-stake battles. However, in that Tartaros arc, she was forced into the highest stake situation I’ve seen, and the way that things panned out that leaned into her relationship with the celestial spirits has me in tears every single watch, and no one can take that accomplishment away from her in my eyes. Say what you want about Fairy Tail and their abundance of fan services, but this is such an amazing moment for Lucy and a peak arc.

Second, Uraraka Ochago from My Hero Academia. She’s somewhat similar to Lucy as she’s not really portrayed as a strong character combat-wise, especially early on in the series. But in the context of My Hero Academia, power clashing itself might not always be the most important thing. It’s okay that she’s not the most over-powered character in the show, she can still be a competent hero that accomplishes things. I like her backstory a lot. Her battle in the school festival arc hit me hard. But the more important aspect for her character (and generally for characters in this series) is the growth. She has always been a compassionate character, and the final arc clearly demonstrated how her compassion, which also affects how she does her job as a hero, expands beyond just for her family and friends. And in the final arc, she is one of the main characters that drastically shapes the tide of a very high-stake battle while showing off her power. This is only half the story of that episode, but that part always gets me fully crying every time as well.

Lastly, Amatori Chika from World Trigger. And this partially stems from how well this show is written generally. Chika is by no means an over-powered character that beats everyone. But also don't let the look trick you because she is the most powerful sniper in this show. Her backstory and her decisions drive a BIG part of the main plot of this show. And her growth is one of the most rewarding things in this series. Her character slowly develops over many arcs, and it all culminates in season 3 when we get a resolution of her internal conflicts that also affects her capability in battles. The timeline for her development also aligns with another protagonist (Osamu), which makes season 3 so special. Her development really pays off and then some!

Final remark

I’m sure there are more instances of well-written female anime characters who remain relevant to the plot throughout the series. While I've grown appreciate and be content with just cool female characters, the ones that leave the most impact to me are the ones that can tie their own development to what makes them strong as a character. I feel that more modern anime has done a better job at this, or at least they seem promising with the seasons they have so far (e.g. Frieren, Witch Hat Atelier, etc.). I hope this trend continues because this genre badly need good representation of all types of characters.