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Every great anime has at least one awesome female character who steals the show. Some of these characters become fan favorites, like Mikasa Ackerman from Attack On Titan or Hinata Hyuga from Naruto. Unfortunately, there are often many fantastic female leads who don't get the recognition they deserve.
Whether this is due to a large cast of characters or too little screen time, some anime women aren't as popular as they should be. The talents of these anime girls range from hand-to-hand combat, magical powers, or just out-smarting their opponents. With such great skills, they deserve more popularity.
10 Annie From Attack On Titan
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Second only to Mikasa Ackerman when it comes to women in Attack On Titan, Annie is a powerhouse character who takes no nonsense from anyone. She started training as a child to become a Warrior, spending all of her time focused on gaining strength. This was primarily due to her father's influence, who treated her as more of a soldier than a daughter. This forced her to become an emotionally guarded person, making her seem cold and unapproachable to others.
Under her hard exterior though, Annie is really a sensitive person who is tired of fighting. She cares for her friends and wants to make her father proud, which is why she's willing to sacrifice her own happiness. Not often seen as one of the more popular women in AoT, Annie deserves more recognition for doing her best in a difficult situation.
9 Mayuko Nise From High-Rise Invasion
Another character who won't tolerate foolishness from anyone is Mayuko Nise. Her character in High-Rise Invasion is tough and adapts to situations easily. She's willing to do anything to survive, including killing without a second thought.
Mayuko is only soft for Yuri Honjo, who helps her find a new way of existing in the cruel world they've been thrown into. As far as female characters go, Mayuko is a strong woman that gets overshadowed easily thanks to her rough personality.
8 Mary Saotome From Kakegurui
For an anime filled with strong female leads, it's hard to choose just one, but Mary Saotome stands out as one of the few characters in the show with any sort of common sense. Though she surrounds herself with "gambling freaks," and could be considered one herself, she is always steering her companions in the right direction, helping them avoid catastrophe.
Mary's another girl with a strong attitude and hard exterior that make her seem cold when in reality she is doing the best she can to help herself and her friends.
7 Shinobu Kocho From Demon Slayer
One of the top-ranked Hashira, Shinobu is not to be messed with. Though she first appears to be sweet and innocent, she's actually a bit cruel, such as her amusement when teasing her fellow Demon Slayers. She also harbors an extreme hatred for Demons and enjoys their deaths, going so far as to toy with them prior to killing them.
That being said, Shinobu is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in the show. She's also one of the brightest, pulling strings subtly behind the scenes to get the outcomes she wants. Though viewers haven't gotten to see much of her in the show, fans are looking forward to seeing the full potential of her strength.
6 Hitoka Yachi From Haikyuu!!
As a small and shy girl, Hitoka is one of the lesser recognized characters in the Haikyuu!! fandom, even though she brings a lot to the team. Despite the fact she was thrown into the role of assistant manager and tasked with becoming the new manager after Kiyoko graduates, she fully embraces her new role.
Though Hitoka is a nervous character, she does her best to provide everyone with support and rarely asks for it herself. Hitoka is honestly the backbone of Karasuno and deserves more praise for it.
5 Nona From Death Parade
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As manager of the Arbiter system that determines whether humans are sent to Hell or Heaven, Nona has a lot on her plate. She does her best to keep things going, even when difficult situations arise. What is most admirable about her, though, is her desire to create a better judging system.
She understands that morality is more than a black and white concept and disagrees with how the process currently runs. To try and remedy this, Nona implants human emotions into one of her arbiters even though it is forbidden. Taking such drastic measures that could land her in trouble shows just how courageous of a character she is.
4 Olivier Mira Armstrong From Fullmetal Alchemist
Olivier, also known as the "Ice Queen," is another strong and fearsome woman on this list. She's a powerful character who won't hesitate to berate anyone who shows her even the slightest bit of disrespect.
Olivier firmly believes in the survival of the fittest and won't hesitate to leave those with weak willpower behind. Her fearsome attitude makes her a companion anyone would want on their team. Though she may not be the most friendly, with Olivier around, all enemies are bound to steer clear.
3 Naomi Misora From Death Note
Even though her time in the anime was short-lived, Naomi deserves more hype for her skills. Arguably the smartest character in the entire show, Naomi could have taken down Light quicker than anyone else.
Using her talents as an ex-FBI agent, Naomi was able to discover shocking evidence about her husband's disappearance that no other authorities noticed. Despite how cautious she was, it was her kind and trusting nature that got the best of her and resulted in her death. Light got lucky with this one.
2 Sypha Belnades From Castlevania
By far the most powerful in her trio, Sypha is one of the strongest women in anime that doesn't get enough recognition. Her magical abilities are unmatched, allowing her to cast flames, ice, and even lightning down on her enemies. She's constantly having to save the other two members of her party, who would be lost without her.
Sypha is also incredibly sweet and does her best to help everyone. She ultimately believes in peace and strives to create a better world without the evils of war and demons.
1 Maki Zenin From Jujutsu Kaisen
After leaving her abusive family as a teenager, Maki Zenin joined Jujutsu High to become a sorcerer. Even without her special abilities, Maki has become one of the strongest characters in the show.
Using only weapons bound with cursed energy and special glasses that allow her to see curses, she is able to take down enemies far above her rank. Maki is so cool, she even stopped a bullet with her bare hand. She deserves more hype not only in the show but in real life, too.