Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a shonen series with a delicious twist. The main characters are all student chefs at the elite Totsuki academy. Notably, each culinary student has their own specialty in the kitchen. While protagonist Soma Yukihira relies on diner experience to get ahead, his lovely new friend, Megumi Tadokoro, is experienced with seafood.
Megumi Tadokoro is one of the main characters in Food Wars!: a modest but undeniably talented girl who simply needs the courage to express herself and realize her potential as a trainee chef. Her character arc and personality are similar to other outstanding anime characters. Many of them are beloved characters in the broader anime community.
10 Hinata Hyuga Learned To Stand Up For Herself (Naruto)
Hinata Hyuga is beloved in the Naruto fandom as a young shinobi who seemed weak and unassertive at first. Hinata looked up to Naruto Uzumaki as her role model, just the way Megumi Tadokoro looks up to Soma Yukihira. Using Naruto as a source of inspiration, Hinata started challenging herself more.
Hinata learned to be brave and stand up for herself against anyone, even her cousin Neji. She's finally realized her true potential as a Hyuga and a Leaf ninja, and she won't look back. Everyone is very proud of her.
9 Shoko Komi Wants To Make 100 Friends (Komi Can't Communicate)
Shoko Komi is a high school student with a serious communication disorder and, unsurprisingly, the heroine of Komi Can't Communicate. She becomes highly anxious around others and struggles to speak even a single word. Without a serious confidence boost, she won't be able to make any friends at all.
After Shoko recently resolved to express herself to the world and make 100 friends, she's slowly started coming out of her shell. Her first friend, Hitohito Tadano, has been helping her steadily expand her social circle to include dozens of classmates and other characters her age.
8 Miku Nakano Is Trying Her Hardest (The Quintessential Quintuplets)
Miku is the third and shyest of the five Nakano sisters in the Quintessential Quintuplets. Unlike her tsundere sister Nino or her playful sister Yotsuba, Miku is an unassertive and shy girl who has trouble expressing her true feelings toward her tutor, Futaro Uesugi.
Miku may be soft-spoken, but she's determined to become more assertive. She's slowly but surely coming out of her shell. She even tries to impress Futaro with her cooking skills but she still needs a little more practice first. Her homemade chocolates didn't turn out so well the first time so she'll just have to try again.
7 Yu Ishigami Found The Courage To Seek Love (Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War)
Yu Ishigami is a quiet delinquent who would rather play on his Nintendo Switch and complain than do any work for the student council in Kaguya-sama: Love is War. He also stirred up some trouble in junior high, but overall, he's not a bad person. Yu is simply having a tough time figuring out his life.
Yu is meek and unassertive, just like Megumi Tadokoro, but his classmates' great personalities are rubbing off on him. Yu is now following both Miyuki's and Kaguya's example and expressing himself more genuinely. Ultimately, he aims to win the heart of the lovely Tsubame Koyasu.
6 Nodoka Miyazaki Became A True Fighter (Negima! Magister Negi Magi & UQ Holder)
Nodoka Miyazaki hails from the shared universe of Negima! Magister Negi Magi and UQ Holder. At first, Nodoka was a typical shy library girl who had little self-esteem. Her child teacher, Negi Springfield, helped inspire her to become more brave and assertive. Over time, she grew to have much more confidence.
Nodoka became one of Negi's most loyal and dependable allies who can even use a telepathic book to help support Negi's squad against a wide variety of foes. She later joined a global space program along with her friend, Yue Ayase.
5 Maria Campbell Made Many New Friends (My Next Life As A Villainess)
Maria Campbell is a student at a special academy for magic and the heroine of the fictional Fortune Lover otome game in My Next Life as a Villainess. Her worst enemy was the original Katarina Claes, who bullied her endlessly. Maria and Megumi both learned to be brave and resourceful at their respective schools. Both characters are also sweet and gentle girls who like to put others first, but they'll fight when they have to. They've also got a best friend to protect them: Soma Yukihira for Megumi and the reborn Katarina Claes for Maria.
4 Princess Yona Decided To Fight Back (Yona Of The Dawn)
Princess Yona grew up with the standard luxuries and comforts of being royalty in Yona of the Dawn, but all that came crashing down when her childhood friend Soo-Won betrayed the king. Now, Yona and her bodyguard friend Hak are on the run, and they must assemble the dragon warriors to fight back and retake the kingdom.
Just like Megumi, Yona had to toughen up quickly and take on challenges that she never could have imagined. Both girls had to decide whether they'd step up to their respective challenges and both chose to become heroes in their own right. They're both inspiring female anime characters.
3 Princess Shuna Can Fight But Prefers Peace (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
Princess Shuna is one of the few surviving ogres in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. She gladly joined Rimuru Tempest's new monster kingdom as a loyal ally, along with her warrior brother Benimaru. Shuna is a gentle and kind girl who prefers peaceful pursuits in Rimuru's city. She usually leaves the fighting to Rimuru, Benimaru, and Veldora the storm dragon.
Shuna may be sweet and gentle, but she is far from defenseless. Like Megumi, she can fight back if she must, and Shuna impressed everyone when she demolished the skeletal mage Adalman with her holy magic. She's certainly tougher than she looks.
2 Wendy Marvell Blossomed Into A True Wizard (Fairy Tail)
Wendy Marvell is one of the seven dragon slayers in Fairy Tail. Impressively, she can use both wind and healing magic. At first, Wendy was the weakest link in any team she joined since she's a modest youth with limited magical power and determination. During her time in the Fairy Tail guild, though, Wendy quickly grew up.
Like Megumi, Wendy found some excellent role models to emulate. She rapidly blossomed into a powerful and confident fighter who can proudly stand alongside her fellows, such as Natsu and Erza Scarlet. She's not Fairy Tail's strongest wizard, but she has come a long way since the early days.
1 Ochaco Uraraka Follows Izuku's Example (My Hero Academia)
Ochaco Uraraka's character arc in My Hero Academia is remarkably similar to Megumi's own, except that cooking is exchanged for Quirks. Ochaco started off modestly, but she did have her good friend Izuku to follow as a role model. Ochaco learned a lot from him and she's determined to live up to his example.
Izuku's determination inspired Ochaco to fight her hardest in the U.A. sports festival against Katsuki Bakugo, and she's only grown stronger and braver since. Now she is a vital part of any team that class 1-A puts together.