The strong female characters depicted in anime are fan favorites because of the representation they give to minorities. These characters allow young girls to see themselves in media and helps them view themselves as kind, strong, and capable. However, many strong anime women walk the line between being strong and being cruel.
Misa Amane, Major General Olivier Armstrong, and Mikasa Ackerman are examples of super strong anime women whose desire to pursue their goals often leads to them doing more harm than good to certain groups of people. Although these anime women do have a cruel streak, the courage and loyalty they show still make them good role models for all anime fans.
10 Morgiana Is Fiercely Protective of Her Friends
Magi: Labyrinth Of Magic
From Magi: Labyrinth Of Magic, Morgiana is a super strong, pink-haired fighter who has incredibly strong kicks because of her Fanalis ancestry. After Aladdin and Alibaba freed her from slavery, Morgiana quickly befriended them. As they grew closer, Morgiana decided she would do whatever it takes to help them achieve their goals.
Morgiana decides to train another skilled fighter, Masrur, to master the incredible fighting skills her ancestry is known for. Morgiana improves her skills even more and makes herself into a valuable battle comrade whose single kick could down an elephant.
9 Misa Amane Won't Let Anyone Get Between Her And Light
Death Note
Death Note's Misa Amane is known for her great taste in clothes, her bubbly personality, and her loyalty to Light Yagami. After receiving a Death Note and making the deal to receive the Shinigami Eyes, Misa quickly became a very fearsome opponent.
Although normally in a relentlessly good mood, when Misa feels her relationship with Light is threatened, she will go to any length to protect their bond. Despite Light's poor treatment of Misa, she is incredibly loyal to him and that loyalty knows no bounds.
8 Eska Is A Force To Be Reckoned With When She's Angry
The Legend Of Korra
Eska is waterbender from The Legend Of Korra whose demeanor is colder than the ice she bends. She is one of Korra's cousins and is known for being emotionally distant, along with her brother. Their cool appearance often leaves a strong first impression and left an especially strong one on Bolin when they met during the Glacier Festival.
After her engagement with Bolin was canceled, she shows how scary she can truly be by chasing his escape boat down while riding a wave. With no mode of transportation besides the water she commands, Eska chased down Bolin in a display of power that rivals Aang's fight against Zhao in the Northern Water Tribe.
7 Mikasa Ackerman Will Do Whatever It Takes To Protect Eren
Attack On Titan
From the anime Attack on Titan, Mikasa Ackerman is one of the most skilled soldiers in the Survey Corps. She originally joined the Corps while trying to support and protect her friends Armin and Eren. After joining, she quickly became just as skillful as their captain, Levi.
Mikasa's immense strength is as deadly to Titans as it is to other humans. From fighting off her kidnappers at the age of nine to terrifying Bertholdt with her glare alone, Mikasa has shown time and time again the incredible strength Ackermans are known to have. Even when it means putting the lives of herself and others on the line, Mikasa does whatever it takes to keep Eren safe.
6 Erza Scarlet Is Ruthless Toward Those Who Hurt Her Family
Fairy Tail
From the anime Fairy Tail, Erza is one of the most powerful mages in the Fairy Tail guild. Her ability to use spatial magic to summon any armor she needs and using sword magic to summon any weapon she needs makes her a dangerous foe. She had a very rough childhood that taught her the importance of taking care of friends and family.
Because of this, Erza decided she'll do whatever it takes to protect Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and all the other members of their Guild. The extent she would go to while protecting her friends gave her the nickname Titania, because of her titanium-level strength and resilience.
5 Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong Isn't Afraid To Show Her Strength
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's Major General Olivier Armstrong is the older sister of Major Alex Armstrong, and she is the heir of the Armstrong family. She is most known for being the cutthroat leader of Fort Briggs. Her glare is as frosty as the snow surrounding Fort Briggs, and because of this, even the most seasoned soldiers tremble at the sound of her name.
Even Major Armstrong, who is the staple for strength and toughness throughout the anime, stands no chance against his older and stronger sister. Major General Armstrong is a great example of strong women in the military. Furthermore, she is a better example of a strategic and strong character.
4 Mai Zenin Is Very Spiteful Toward People For No Reason
Jujustu Kaisen
From Jujustu Kaisen, Mai Zenin is a student at Kyoto Jujustu High, and she's the twin sister of Maki Zenin. Growing up, both she and her sister were looked down upon for their lack of jujutsu abilities, and just for being born female. Due to her upbringing, she developed a mean and snarky personality.
Instead of coping in a healthy way, Mai took out her emotions on others — especially her sister. It doesn't take much to set her off which leads to her behaving rudely toward anyone that's near her, even the people she's closest to. Although she has the potential to become a strong sorcerer despite her situation, her pettiness prevents her from growing as a person.
3 Medusa Gorgon Abuses Her Own Child & Enjoys Causing Harm
Soul Eater
Medusa Gorgon is one of the antagonists in the anime Soul Eater. She is the birth mother of the sword-wielder Crona, and she decided to use Crona as an experiment. She replaced Crona's natural blood with black blood that created the demon sword and attached it to Crona permanently.
Medusa would lock Crona in a room for hours until she felt Crona made enough progress with training to use the demon sword. Medusa showed little to no empathy towards others, even those that she should be closest to, such as her own child. Her inability to show regret for her actions allowed her to do horrible things to people throughout the anime.
2 Sakura Haruno Gets Physical When She's Angry
Naruto
Naruto's Sakura Haruno was once an unassuming resident of Konoha who now is one of the strongest among the Leaf kunoichi and all shinobi in general. The advanced medical knowledge and terrifying rage-fueled fighting style she learned from Lady Tsunade helped her to become a legendary shinobi.
However, the fighting style Sakura learned also made it easier for her to take out her anger on others. She's known for constantly berating Naruto and hitting him often. The fighting style she learned from Lady Tsunade only increased the strength of her hits as she got older, and left Naruto with more bruises.
1 Azula Destroys Anything That Stops Her From Achieving Her goals
Avatar: The Last Airbender
From Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula is the youngest child of Ozai and the younger sister of Zuko. Both Azula and her older brother were raised in a toxic and abusive household where they were only valued for their fire-bending ability. Azula was a prodigy, but despite this, she never got the love and attention she deserved.
Azula became cold and emotionally distant when she grew up. Even during fights with Zuko or her own friends, she did whatever it took to win regardless of the cost to others. Her cutthroat determination made her incredibly successful, but it turned her into a mean and frightening person.