Anime isn't the best when it comes to realism, but fans don't necessarily go to anime because they want to see something real. With that said, there are certain aspects that can be quite annoying when they're unrealistic, especially when it comes to women.
When women are depicted in armor, there's a large chance that it'll barely cover the important parts, let alone be functional. High heels, bikini bottoms, and exposed vital organs are the norm when it comes to female armor. At this point, female armor is more about fanservice than function, which can ruin immersion for viewers.
10 Saber's Skirt Is Too Long (Fate/Zero)
Saber's armor in Fate/Zero isn't terrible. She isn't overly exposed or sexualized, but that doesn't make her armor functional. While there are historical examples of warriors wearing skirts while fighting, it isn't really practical for her to wear a long dress.
The material would only get in the way while she's fighting and be a hindrance instead of a strength. Considering she's supposed to be the reincarnation of King Arthur, full plate armor would have made more sense.
9 Is It Really Satire? (Kill La Kill)
Kill La Kill is meant to be a satire of shonen anime, so it makes sense for the outfits to be so skimpy. That being said, it's still a little weird that the armor is so extreme. Even if the series is meant to make fun of other shonen, it doesn't do a great job of subverting common anime tropes.
The useless armor feels more like bad fanservice than a statement on tired anime tropes. It would have been better for the characters to have armor that actually works than the outfits they're actually stuck with.
8 Erza Has A Lot Of Useless Armor (Fairy Tail)
Erza has tons of armor in her arsenal and not a single one is functional. From bikinis to metal bathing suits with wings, it's obvious her various outfits are just an excuse for fanservice than something that's actually meant to protect her.
Even her everyday armor isn't functional. While the outfit itself isn't a problem the high-heeled boots seem like they would be far too uncomfortable to fight in. Considering she has a limitless amount of armor and tools, it would make sense for her to have at least one functional piece, but she just doesn't.
7 Yaoyorozu Isn't Protected At All (My Hero Academia)
Yaoyorozu's outfit is probably the worst example of fanservice in modern shonen anime. On paper, it makes sense because she needs to easily access her Quirk — but there are several male characters who are able to use their Quirks without skimpy outfits.
Yaoyorozu's hero suit is obviously just meant to be fanservice because it doesn't help or protect her in the slightest. Hopefully, Yaoyorozu will get a costume upgrade soon because she desperately needs it.
6 Ais Armor Doesn't Cover Much (Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?)
Ais Wallenstein's armor is a perfect example of breastplate syndrome, which many female characters in anime seem to struggle with. Her armor only covers her chest, which seems counterintuitive since armor is meant to protect the vital organs.
On top of that, the back is completely open, which makes fans wonder why she's even bothering to wear armor in the first place. Her outfit may be cute, but it is the farthest thing from functional armor.
5 There's No Room For Their Organs (Claymore)
Claymore is an example of good armor for some. It completely covers their bodies and the shoes are even functional. However, there's one glaring issue: the armor is way too small. It's pretty hard to imagine the armor would be all that comfortable considering it's suctioned to their bodies.
The armor fits more like a corset than actual armor, to the point that fans have to wonder where their internal organs are since there's no way there's any room for them in that armor. The design may be sleek, but realistically, it's completely nonfunctional — especially if any of the characters want the ability to breathe.
4 Rebecca Is Just Wearing A Bathing Suit (One Piece)
It would be a stretch to call Rebecca's outfit "armor" considering it's nothing more than a metal bikini. She may wear a helmet, but other than that, it's not protecting her at all.
All of her vital organs are exposed while the top offers zero support. She may have functional boots and calf armor, but that doesn't make up for the fact that she's basically walking around in a bathing suit.
3 Katsuie's Armor Defies Physics (The Ambition of Oda Nobunaga)
It's hard to believe Katsuie's armor is an example of bad female armor considering it looks well-designed. It's stylized but not to a ridiculous degree and it completely covers all the important bits. However, problems arise when the armor is actually animated.
Since she's fully covered and impossible to use for fanservice, animators decided to get around this by using boob jiggle physics with her armor, which makes absolutely no sense. The animators would have been better off taking away the armor than pulling a ridiculous stunt like that.
2 Asuna's Armor Looks Uncomfortable (Sword Art Online)
Asuna's armor isn't extreme like many other female characters, but it still falls into the same pitfalls that other characters have. It covers her chest and nothing else, which doesn't help much considering all the monsters she has to face.
She also wears thigh-high boots, which seem like they would be pretty uncomfortable to move around in. The armor is definitely cute and fans love to cosplay it, but for anyone looking for something they could actually wear into battle, this is definitely not it.
1 The Warrior's Armor Leaves Little To The Imagination (Bikini Warriors)
As the title suggests, the "armor" worn by the characters in this series is nothing but bikinis. The outfits leave nothing to the imagination and even appear to be a few sizes too small for the incredibly busty characters.
Wearing tiny armor is kind of the point of the series, so it's much easier for them to get away with it than in any other show. However, for fans who have gotten sick of the egregious amount of fanservice in anime, the fact that this show exists in the first place is frustrating.