The 2000s was a year where many popular anime series first made their debut. From the infamous School Days to the more lighthearted Fruits Basket, female protagonists became more of a regular occurrence outside of shojo series.

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From seinen to mystery, the anime entertainment began utilizing female protagonists instead of having them play second fiddle to the male protagonist—and sometimes, they were just as important. With the world becoming more accustomed to anime, some female protagonists became as recognizable as their male counterparts—and even iconic.

10 Ai Enma (Hell Girl)

Hell Girl

Ai Enma is from the shojo and horror series Hell Girl. She is the person who carries out punishments of anyone who asks for it through the Hell Correspondence. It changes through time, as in the first season, it was through an old PC—with the newest being even more convenient, expanding to smartphones and tablets.

Ai showed that a shojo protagonist didn't always need to be full of rainbow and sunshine. She is expressionless, as she is forbidden to show any emotion—albeit sometimes, she shows either concern or even affection for the people she works together with.

9 Kotonoha Katsura (School Days)

Kotonoha Katsura School Days

Kotonoha Katsura is the main heroine of School Days and Sekai Saionji—but the girl who made much more of an impact was Kotonoha. Although both Kotonoha and Sekai were the victims of Makoto's cheating, Kotonoha was his girlfriend.

As the only person who didn't do anything wrong and stayed faithful to Makoto despite being unable to keep anything in his pants, she was the only likable character. This made the various things she went through harder to watch—and when she did get her "nice boat" of a happy ending, fans couldn't help but remember for a long, long time.

8 Nadja Applefield (Tomorrow's Nadja)

ashita no nadja

Najda may not be known to US fans, but Tomorrow's Nadja was quite the hit in Japan and other countries. After discovering that her mother was still alive somewhere, she leaves the Applefield Orphanage and joins the Dandelion Troupe.

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Together, they travel across the world. She learns various dances from different cultures and engages in a love triangle romance with two mysterious boys who happen to be twin brothers—Keith and Francis Harcourt.

7 Nana Osaki (Nana)

Nana Osaki Nana

Nana was both a great josei anime and one of the best-written anime from the 2000s. Its realistic portrayal of romance—from the toxicity to the allure of first love—remains fresh. However, between the two main characters who share the same name, Nana Osaki was always the one who stood out.

While Nana Komatsu was the typical good girl who always fell in love with the wrong person, Nana Osaki was the punk-styled gal who never seemed to stray from who she was or her dreams—even if it cost her her love life.

6 Seras Victoria (Hellsing Ultimate)

Hellsing Ultimate episode 7 Seras Victoria Smiling

Seras Victoria is one of the main characters of Hellsing Ultimate that deserves just as much recognition as Alucard. She had a rough life before being turned into a vampire, but she remains a loyal and strong-willed soldier who works for the Hellsing Organization.

With abilities such as superhuman strength, clairvoyance, immortality, and even advanced marksmanship, Seras was one of the few female protagonists that were shown to be capable of fighting on their own during this time, which made her stand out immensely.

5 Revy (Black Lagoon)

Revy pointing her guns in Black Lagoon.

Revy was a firecracker in Black Lagoon—so much so that many thought of her as the main character instead of Rock. Rude, sarcastic, and short-tempered, Revy is a textbook example of a character with who no one wouldn't want to cross paths with in reality.

She is an excellent shot and uses blunt force to get her way. Almost every scene with her in it received a lot of attention—including the ones where she would curse like a sailor. Revy is crude and troubled, but because of this, it makes her all the more real.

4 Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)

Yuno Gasai from Future Diary.

Without Yuno Gasai, the yandere attribute probably wouldn't be as well-known as it is to this day. Obsessed with Yukiter "Yuki" Amano and willing to do anything to receive his love and attention, Yuno is somehow both a troubled and caring girl at the same time.

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Throughout the series, she helped aid Yukiteru in winning the survival game and never truly thought about her own wellbeing. Even so, her actions remain a controversial topic on whether she was truly doing it all for him or herself in the end.

3 Tohru Honda (Fruits Basket)

tohru honda fruits basket

Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket is both a symbol of old shojo heroines with a deeper personality and getting to know her. Despite the original series not delving into her character much, the remake showed more of what she had to offer.

However, back in the original series, Tohru was still the kind and caring girl who wished the members of the Sohma family would break their respective curses.

2 Konata Izumi (Lucky Star)

konata izumi lucky star

Lucky Star may be a dated anime by today's standards, but back when it first debuted, there was no place Konata Izumi wasn't on the internet.

The signature blue-haired high schooler loved cosplay, anime, manga, and video games—so much so that she would meme them. She's an eccentric person who works at a cosplay cafe, and she loves teasing others.

1 Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Suzumiya was perhaps the one person that everyone knew in the mid-2000s. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was arguably the most popular anime series of 2007.

A girl who hates anything related to boredom, she drags Kon—the male main character—around and creates the SOS Brigade, so she won't ever have a dull day. Although she was also named one of the most annoying characters of that year, she also has many fans who wish to see her return to the anime screen. She made an appearance in the 2015 anime spin-off, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan.

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