Frequently, female characters are portrayed as innocent damsels in distress who are waiting for their knight in shining armor. Sometimes though, female characters are some of the strongest in the series. Notable examples include Elizabeth from The Seven Deadly Sins, Asuna from Mahou Sensei Negima!, Casca from Berserk, and many more.
The entertainment industry, anime included, has recently strived to shift the depiction of women in a more positive direction. Female characters are now portrayed as strong, independent, or powerful women. There are plenty of compelling femme fatales in anime, but some stand out as the best.
10 Mireille Bouquet Couldn't Care Less About Her Beauty (Noir)
Unlike many femme fatales, Mireille doesn't rely on her beauty to be the best assassin in Noir. She relies on her brains and brawn on her missions. Mireille stays neutral and professional no matter the target, never getting sentimental or emotional over her hits.
To Mireille, killing people is simply another line of work. It may not be an honest job, but it's business. She's a merciless killer with a soft spot for those close to her. Despite caring for the people around her, she won't hesitate to betray them if needed.
9 Faye Valentine Takes Advantage Of Her Femininity (Cowboy Bebop)
Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop is both feminine and independent. The bounty hunter uses her stunning looks and irresistible charms to get whatever she wants. She always manages to get the job done, especially when it comes to money.
Faye Valentine is more than her badass facade. She may prioritize money above all else, but this doesn't make her heartless. There are times when her vulnerability truly shines in Cowboy Bebop. She's a fleshed-out female protagonist - something that's always appreciated.
8 Irina Jelavić Is A Child At Heart, But A Frightening Killer Nonetheless (Assassination Classroom)
Irina is a cruel and calculating assassin who's hired to murder Korosensei in Assassination Classroom. The catch is, the gig comes with teaching a class full of remedial students the English language. Her hard skills are impressive, and she uses her physical features to lure targets into her trap and then successfully takes their lives at the end of each mission.
Her soft skills, on the other hand, could use a bit of work. In fact, she is often mocked by class 3-E for being as childish as she is. This aspect of her character is a breath of fresh air into the anime femme fatale community.
7 Kurumi Earns Is Brutal, Malicious, And Elegant (Date A Live)
At first, Kurumi appears to be the perfect 'girl next door'. She's elegant, polite, has flawless skin, and even has her hair tied at all times. In the beginning, Shido was completely enamored with Kurumi. He had an unbreakable determination to save the Spirits. However, meeting Kurumi wavered his once-unyielding resolve to save her kind.
Kurumi's real nature is anything but nice. She's brutal, malicious, and is truly the most dangerous Spirit to have ever lived. Kurumi has single-handedly killed 10,000 people, only 100 being Spacequake victims. She's feisty and kills like there's no tomorrow.
6 Nobara Kugisaki Says It Like It Is (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Nobara doesn't fit into the stereotypical mold of a femme fatale. She doesn't rely on her looks to kill off cursed spirits. She's a skilled Jujutsu Sorcerer who's confident in her skills as a fighter and has unwavering convictions about what she believes in.
Her character often comes off arrogant because of the rashness in her voice. In reality, she's just standing her ground in a patriarchal society. When a senior belittles women by listing off constricting gender expectations, Nobara viciously attacks them. She declares that she loves herself no matter what. Nobara stands by her values and tells it like it is, not caring who she offends in the process.
5 Esdeath Truly Believes The Weak Deserve To Die (Akame Ga Kill!)
Akame Ga Kill!'s Esdeath has a true passion for fighting. She takes the phrase "survival of the fittest" to an extreme and sadistic level. Her ideal world consists of only the strongest beings. She would not hesitate to eliminate anyone weaker from the planet, firmly believing that they deserve to die in the most painful way possible.
Esdeath's craving for bloodshed is insatiable, and she has inflicted tremendous pain upon her victims for her own pleasure. It may not seem like it, but a small part of her does care about the people around her. She is not above sacrificing them, but she does care about them. For Esdeath, this is enough.
4 Yor Forger Is The Sweetest Assassin (Spy X Family)
An ongoing anime series, Spy x Family stars a fake family that consists of a spy father, an assassin mother, and a telepathic daughter. Yor Forger is a part-time clerk at Berlint City Hall, a part-time struggling stepmother, and a full-time master assassin.
As 'Thorn Princess,' Yor has a chilling aura and killer skills that impress even the best spy in the country. Despite being a socially awkward citizen and a nonconventional mom, Yor is an expert assassin who never misses her target. Unlike Akame ga Kill!'s Esdeath, Yor protects those who cannot fend for themselves. She does her best at her day job and tries to be the best mom for Anya. She's a bit aloof but, in the face of enemies, she's unpredictable.
3 Nezuko Doesn't Need To Consume Humans To Be Invincible (Demon Slayer)
In the Demon Slayer universe, when a human turns into a demon, they have an unquenchable thirst for human blood. However, Nezuko is above such primitive lifestyles. She has never had human flesh, yet her demonic fighting abilities are still mind-blowing.
She protects the people she cares about, and fighting against her nature to devour every human in sight must take a lot of courage and strength. At the same time, she goes into battle fighting her own kind instead of the 'enemy.' Despite being a supposed mindless animal, she has a conscious mind of what's morally right.
2 Fujiko Mine Is The Poster Character For Femme Fatales (Lupin III)
Fujiko Mine perfectly treads the line between wicked and compassionate. Her character is a mix of confusing and mysterious. The audience and the characters never know what's on her mind. The genius burglar tends to unite with the Lupin gang only when it benefits her, usually double-crossing them just as they reach the finish line.
Lupin's undying loyalty and infatuation for Fujiko are a testament to her skills as a seductive criminal. As the expert femme fatale that she is, Fujiko uses her captivating allure to trick men into doing her dirty work for her. Fujiko is fully capable of doing heists on her own, but she prefers to take advantage of men and commit crimes with them, never sharing the prize.
1 Kuroha Shiratori Is As Deadly As They Come (Eden Of The East)
Kuroha leads a double life. She runs a modeling agency while harboring a deadly secret. Kuroha Shiratori may be a supermodel, but Johnny Hunter is an assassin whose trademark is kidnapping men to castrate them.
The countless male lives she has taken aren't random, innocent souls she happens to have stumbled upon. All of her victims have a history of harming women. Kuroha/Johnny Hunter takes it upon herself to bring these men to justice. She isn't a mindless killer, but is a vigilante fighting for what's right. She's the best and most compelling femme fatale in anime history.