While there are many famous royal characters in fiction, the position of princess might just be the most popular among them. While they might not have the power of a king or queen, there's no denying that the princess title has its own appeal. Some are sweet and dainty, others are strong and courageous, princesses of fiction have taken on many forms and roles.
Anime is no exception to the princess trope, delivering tons of likable, compelling, and even iconic ladies of royalty across the medium. For some, there are even those that instantly spring to mind when the words "anime" and "princess" are part of the same sentence.
10 Princess Syalis, The Sleep Obsessed Princess (Sleepy Princess In The Demon Castle)
Sleepy Princess In The Demon Castle's Princess Aurora Sya Lis Goodereste, or just Syalis for short, was kidnapped by the Demon King Twilight in order to strike fear into Goodereste's people. Despite being a prisoner, it seems Syalis herself isn't all that bothered by her circumstances as long as she can get a good night's sleep.
Syalis could sleep anywhere and anytime, but she'll go above and beyond to maximize her comfort, even if she's got to steal from or kill some of the demon castle's residents to do it. Syalis may be a prisoner, but it's the demons who are trapped in the castle with her.
9 Melty Q Melromarc, A Very Mature Girl For Her Age (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
The Rising of the Shield Hero has some pretty horrible royals ruling the country of Melromarc, especially Malty S Melromarc (aka Myne) who's selfish and manipulative to a fault. The same cannot be said about her younger sister, Melty Q Melromarc, who may be a child, but is mature in spirit and strong in a fight.
Malty has a propensity to abuse her power and put her own desires first, but Melty is the opposite. She's selfless and treats others without prejudice and because of that, she became first in line to the throne. She's also has a great love for the large birds known as Filolials.
8 Lum, The Iconic Invader (Urusei Yatsura)
Lum is the princess of a race of Oni aliens who invade and conquer planets in Urusei Yatsura. Lum falls in love with the human Ataru after a misunderstanding. Despite the crazy circumstances, Lum takes her role as Ataru's "loving wife" very seriously, due to her loyal and innocent nature.
She may be hot-headed at times and gets jealous very easily, resulting in her shocking Ataru with electricity, but she's very loving and good-natured, only wanting a future that she can spend happily with her beloved Ataru.
7 Nefertari Vivi, The Straw Hat Pirates' Princess (One Piece)
One Piece's Vivi is the princess of the Arabasta desert kingdom, which was taken over by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. To fight against him and save her people, Vivi went undercover in Crocodile's Baroque Works organization where she eventually met and joined up with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates.
Vivi is fiercely determined when her kingdom and people are on the line, loyal to her friends, and will put the needs of others ahead of her own. She may lack physical strength, but she more than makes up for it with her kind and courageous spirit and will always be a member of the Straw Hat crew at heart.
6 The Kind, But Tragic Euphemia Li Britannia (Code Geass)
The members of Code Geass' Britannian Imperial Family are not exactly the warmest of individuals. A lot of them end up being corrupt, manipulative, power-hungry, violent, or some combination of the four. Though there was one who had a big heart and only wished for harmony among her people, unlike the rest of her family, and that was Princess Euphemia.
Unlike her older brother, Lelouch, Euphemia believed that in order to combat the unfairness and injustice of the Britannian Empire, changes would have to come from within, sharing a kindred spirit with Suzaku. Intelligent, kind-hearted, and respectful to all people, Euphemia could've possibly achieved that dream, unfortunately, a meeting with Zero, Lelouch's alter ego, goes wrong, resulting in many deaths and inevitably her own.
5 Misfortune Allowed Yona To Finally Grow Up (Yona Of The Dawn)
Princess Yona, Yona of the Dawn's titular character, once lead an easy life, sheltered from the world's conflicts. She was naïve and spoiled rotten to boot, but that all changed when her cousin killed her father and took over the Kouka Kingdom forcing Yona to flee. Soon after, Yona comes to realize that the prosperous kingdom she thought she knew was actually full of corruption, poverty, and misery.
During her quest to find the Four Dragon Warriors, Yona's put face to face with the world's harsh truths, and as a result, she grows from being a selfish and oblivious princess to being a more mature and courageous warrior.
4 Lilliane Von Phoenix, A Half-Vampire Princess (Princess Resurrection)
Lilliane von Phoenix, or "Hime" as she prefers to be called, is Princess Resurrection's monster realm's second princess. Unlike her siblings, she actually takes no interest in taking the throne herself, but she's also not afraid to throw down with them or any other enemy if she has to.
Hime's a skilled tactician and can resurrect the dead to serve as her warriors, but she's willing to fight on her own too, with her weapon mastery (most notably with a chainsaw), regenerative abilities, and fiery phoenix flames. Hime may look composed at all times but can become truly monstrous if she's mad enough.
3 San, Princess of the Wolf Gods (Princess Mononoke)
When hunting for famous anime princesses, none may be more iconic and revered as San from Princess Mononoke. Abandoned by her parents as a baby, San was taken in by the wolf goddess Moro and raised as a wolf herself. Being raised by Moro gave San a deep appreciation for the forest and all its creatures, coupled with contempt for humans and their disrespect for nature.
San may have been born human but sees herself as a wolf, though over the course of the film, slowly comes to accept her human side. Fierce, courageous, and compassionate, San really puts the "warrior" in "warrior princess."
2 Sailor Moon Is Actually The Reincarnation Of Princess Serenity (Sailor Moon)
Sailor Moon's Usagi Tsukino isn't just anime's most recognizable magical girl, but also one of anime's most famous princesses. More accurately, she's the reincarnation of the Moon Kingdom's princess, Princess Serenity. While Serenity herself is mostly seen in flashbacks, she was almost the same in personality as Usagi herself.
After the death of her beloved Prince Endymion, Serenity died soon after and was reborn on Earth as Usagi who later awoken as Sailor Moon. While she can be immature and naïve, she's ultimately pure-hearted and sees the good in just about everyone.
1 The Brave, Intelligent, & Kind Soul That Is Nausicaä (Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind)
Nausicaä is the protagonist of the Ghibli film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. As the princess of the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaä is an optimistic soul and dedicated to helping her people and finding a solution to the problems that plague the harsh world they live in.
Nausicaä isn't afraid to die if it means saving others, she's as kind and compassionate as she is intelligent and skilled in a fight. It's all of these qualities that make her such a beloved princess as well as a heroine to her people and viewers alike. She's a true diamond in the rough.