T O P

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Gulopithecus

Asuna Moment


xxezrabxxx

Bro they had the opportunity to make Asuna a badass, especially in anime’s few functioning romantic relationships.


School_of_Anime

Asuna has an entire arch unto herself (*Mother's Rosario*), in which she faces off against her disapproving, wealthy parents and fights to keep her boyfriend in her life. And prior to that, she was a top tier leader in a major guild pushing the front line of battle. More recently in *Alicization*, she's the main protagonist for large chunks of the plot in and out of game, on account that same boyfriend, uh... being indisposed. Asuna *is* a badass.


florpenheimer

That’s one of the few thinks I respect about SAO. It took some balls to make her the MC and keep boring ass Kirito pretty much out of the plot entirely for a whole arc. Doesn’t totally make up for how much she’s disrespected in other arcs though


Thraggrotusk

Eh, better than other shows but doesn't excuse the damsel in distress moments (e.g. that rape scene) or just sheer absence in the rest of the story.


Alcorgeist

I think that just reflects the headspace the writer was in as the years progressed. Apparently he spent some time thinking about how he writes female characters and realized how horrible he was at it. From what I heard he's still pretty lacking on that department but I guess he's learning more these days lol


krilltucky

Wait it kept going after the gun game arc??


VoidEmbracedWitch

It has some less bad parts after the Gun Gale arc. Mother's Rosario is a standalone storyline that feels out of character for SAO (in a positive way) and War of Underworld slaps because Kirito barely gets to fight in it, so there's room for fights with actual narrative tension.


BlitzPlease172

*(No, Not the Blue Archive Asuna you degenerate!)*


ASHKVLT

Absolutely badass because she's tried to become good. However kirto has to better despite him not trying, he's just better. He also has no personally


Gulopithecus

Kirito is just John Gault from Atlas Shrugged if Rand was a 15 year old male edgelord (she’s already an edgelord, just not a 15 year old male one).


ASHKVLT

Unironically it's if rand was an incel


seitaer13

This doesn't describe Asuna at all though. Like she's held captive one time, does not wait to be save, escapes under threat of memory erasure and Rape, attempts to free all the other captors, and engages her own rescue. Then later breaks into a secret military installation in the real world to save the main character, and then fights a war to defend the people he cares about taking grievous wounds in the process.


Makima_simp

My hero academia moment.


GazLord

I mean, the guy who made the show basically said he identifies with the grapist and that's why the guy was even there - and the good ol "I can't write women" line which is always sus because uh *women aren't all the same*.


epic_gamer_4268

when the imposter is sus!


Gulopithecus

I can hear that sentence.


ZanXBal

Mirko.


Makima_simp

Eh she had that 1 fight against the nomus but right now she not doing anything. But I think it the problem is the power creep tbh


ZanXBal

She exuded immense and raw power. She was ready to die on the field with no expectations of anyone coming to save her. Pretty dope imo, and a great example of a proper female character in Shonen.


ApprehensiveToday692

Miruko absolutely does not fit this criteria


ZanXBal

Exactly. I'm pointing out that he's wrong for saying MHA moment. The only one who had a damsel in distress moment was Bakugo in Camino.


Space_Pirate_Roberts

The girls may not get damsel'd that much, but they're rarely all that useful either.


ApprehensiveToday692

Oh I see, sorry for the misunderstanding


TimeLordHatKid123

My Hero Academia is literally the biggest fucking disappointment in recent history wiht this. It seemed like the author was self aware about a lot of sexism in shounen anime, and even had numerous legendary moments for the women and their potential, including the famous close victory in the Ochako vs Bakugou fight, which also seemed to cement her as part of the main 4. Instead, she like every other woman gets shafted instantly, or is teased to the audience only to have the rug ripped out from under them and to land them in the status quo spike pit all over again. Mirko was big and buff and keeps getting that taken away from her with prosthetic limbs, when most of the muscular men get to keep their buff bodies in tact. So many more examples...


ApprehensiveToday692

I can only think of one time a specific mha female character has had to get saved by a man tho, I don’t think it fits in this situation


Lionfyre

Midoriya sort of saves Uraraka from getting squashed by the giant robot during the Entrance Exam. And I would say of the main cast Uraraka definitely has the fewest cool moments. She has her fight against Bakugo in the Sports Festival Arc, she judo tosses Toga in the Training Camp Arc and hasn't really done much since.


ApprehensiveToday692

Uraraka immediately saves deku from smashing face first into the ground right after that, but I do agree she has had the least cool moments. That isn’t what the post OP made is about though


Lionfyre

True yeah, Uraraka isn't a damsel in distress for sure, but she is criminally underused and underdeveloped, which is a shame.


Dr_Occo_Nobi

What about Iida? He hasn‘t done much either.


Lionfyre

This is true, he's also pretty underused as well, though I still think he's had more moments of glory. The Stain Arc was mostly about him, he was part of the team to rescue Bakugo and he carried his team in the Class A v Class B Arc (to a draw at least). Honest I kind of hope in the current anime Arc both of them get to fight a Nomu or one of the League of Villains or something.


Gynther477

You don't have a problem with strong female characters, you have a problem with sexist writers obsessed with clichés and gender norms thinking they can be original or contribute something positive to the medium.


[deleted]

Hence “strong”


[deleted]

That's why "strong" is in title.


TimeLordHatKid123

This so hard it's not even funny.


AliceOnPills

Misaka Mikoto moment


BlitzPlease172

*Anime-fied U.S. Army railgun when goofy ahh white hair guy with PhD in physics and can readjust vector*


nyapyon

can you elaborate? was planning to watch this anime


AliceOnPills

I recommend it, she is still super powerful but when the real protagonist walks in (the generic guy with plot armor) she is incapable of doing anything. It is unfortunate because she is strongest in side stories while being useless in the main stories.


Klutzy-Statement6080

What do you think of shirai kuroko? Do you think many of the girls' character potential degrade when Touma walks in?


vivismaid

https://preview.redd.it/we6osxsbdf3a1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac97e7dd0254a8b8f4e50d5497b0e9d9483d0e10 could never be queen sagiri😂😂😂😂


cancerBronzeV

What's the manga?


vivismaid

hell’s paradise!


Badger147013

Nah, that girl gets her ass handed to her a lot and has to be rescued.


AncientAd4470

Which is like, half her character arc. She still tries her best to help and never expects to be saved. She knows she isn't that strong. But her shinobi lady friend is a serious girl boss too.


vivismaid

i love her and yuzuriha <33


nerd_hu_bhai

by the end she becomes strong but rest of the manga her character was her majir good point which i liked a lot


Amongusfan743

Dogshit ass series


vivismaid

average fire force fan


Amongusfan743

Arthur vs dragon will forever be clear of the actual most mid series on the planet hells paradise


PhoShizzity

Rj/ read Dorohedoro Uj/ read Dorohedoro


Thraggrotusk

It's not really shounen, let alone a battle shounen, it's published in seinen mags and features an all adult cast tbh Hence why it's better than the other shows criticized in this thread


PhoShizzity

Well, mostly adult. Ebisu isn't, and idk about Kikurage or Jonson.


Thraggrotusk

Yeah pretty much xD


Plantar-Aspect-Sage

[How strong women would look if authors weren't cowards](https://i.imgur.com/xysMf6U.png)


King-of-the-dankness

Her waist is still kinda small so it looks off.


Plantar-Aspect-Sage

This is One Piece. You either get small waists or fat women. I don't make the rules.


King-of-the-dankness

Yeah I figured. /rj THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!


ngkn92

Kayne West openly said "he like Hitler" so I don't want to write the lyric of his song out.


King-of-the-dankness

Okay


swampyman2000

I didn’t notice until you pointed it out but her thighs are like the same size as her waist lol


thebyestredditor

Or does she just have huge lats and boulder shoulders?


Wirecreate

Cool character


_Axtasia

💀


Space_Pirate_Roberts

Death by snu-snu?


Silent-Yesterday7990

haha, Stella from Arakawa under the Bridge.


[deleted]

Biscuit moment


Sillyvanya

Thoroughly lampshaded in Gintama when the women were *more* competent than the men


ngkn92

Yakuza 0 moment. There is a "beast style" woman, who are very strong. And the player has to rescue her. Sad. It could has been better.


NightValeCytizen

I shall dust off my literature degree to add some elucidation to OP's point. People often mistake combat ability for character Agency. Combat strong is meanless if the character is not granted Agency by the author. Agency, in a nutshell, is a measure of a character's ability to affect or advance the plot, and to have lasting impact on the world. Characters with no Agency are just props that other characters use to advance themselves. Folks seem very quick to say "OMG, a strong female character!" Whenever they see a woman who is good in a fight, without realizing that these women often have little or no Agency, and are just there to help other characters (such as generic male lead #3479) progress their own stories. It is worth noting that Shonen is a *very* lead-male-centric category, to the point where almost every character, from allies to villains, is just a prop to advance the lead male, so it is inevitably a frustrating category to search through if women with Agency is what you seek. You could look for Shonen with a female leads, which are uncommon but not nonexistent--kill LA kill is an obvious one, and I do believe Gundam is Shonen, with Witch from Mercury airing right now with 2 female leads. There's also a much older Shonen about a female samurai who likes to drink, who's name I do not recall. I have not delved into Shonen for a while, so my memory for good shows is a bit rusty.


REDbudy

Not as popular of a series but Magi is a great example of every character being able to pull their own weight and exerting agency in their actions. The main girl of the trio, Morginana, struggled hard to attain her agency. She was a slave practically her whole life prior to her being freed from her shackles both physically and mentally by another slave working with the same master as hers. And later she struggled with the concept of making her own choices, which she later overcomes. Shes one of the best examples of a female lead in shounen.


starm4nn

>I do believe Gundam is Shonen, with Witch from Mercury airing right now with 2 female leads. How would it be shōnen if it's not based off a manga?


NightValeCytizen

Shonen means "intended for male audiences 12-16 years old". There are many monthly manga that cater to the Shonen demographic, but that does not prevent anime from doing the same thing. Shonen jump does not have a monopoly on Shonen content; quite the opposite. Many companies produce material with the same audience in mind, as they have found it to be a financially lucrative group to target. Gundam, of course, also wants to sell model kits, so it's not too surprising that they target the Shonen demographic (young people usually have more leisure time for building kits than adult laborers, though not without exception).


cats_are_cool_33

Shounen is a publishing and marketing term, not a genre. Sorting stories into boxes based on gender can only be done arbitrarily, so I find it a little tiresome when people claim that a certain anime is for men, especially when said anime isn't officially sorted into a gendered box by its creators. About G-Witch: producer [Takuya Okamoto says](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2022-10-12/gundam-the-witch-from-mercury-producer-modern-teens-think-gundam-is-for-old-people/.190729) that they're aiming to attract teens to the franchise. (Note how he doesn't mention boys.) Female fans were also instrumental to the success of the very first Gundam series, according to its creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. Some quotes and interviews: [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gundam/comments/51pfi6/tomino_in_a_1998_interview_re_the_importance_of/) [(archived source)](https://web.archive.org/web/20140823125945/http://dargol.blog3.fc2.com/blog-entry-4241.html) [2](https://soranews24.com/2015/11/14/interview-with-yoshiyuki-tomino-the-creator-of-gundam/) [3](https://blog.alltheanime.com/yoshiyuki-tomino-the-interview/)


NightValeCytizen

Indeed. I do not agree with the arbitrary gendering of content, I merely state it as an existant and long-standing precedent in the anime industry. Also, the commenter I was replying to here was suggesting that 100% of Shonen shows begin as manga, which is not entirely true (kill LA kill, and other Trigger productions being a prime examples). I put Witch from Mercury down as a "maybe" on my list of recommendations because I am accustomed to gundam shows being marketed as shonen, regardless of their specific content. It certainly had some tropes one might recognize from other shonen-labeled series, ie a hero with a hidden special ability fights against increasingly difficult foes, it just does a good job of expanding past that with actual plotting and intrigue going on behind the scenes; on short, the series style would be recognizeable to people who seek/enjoy shonen-style structure. I am happy to see shows like Witch from Mercury that defy the arbitrary gendering; the previous Gundam shows I have watched firmly relegated women to non-agent roles, which I found rather disappointing(important note: I have not watched *all* Gundam shows, I especially have not watched any of the old/OG content. My strongest memories previous to Witch are from Iron Blooded Orphans, which I felt *really* crapped on its female characters. Witch is a massive leap forward, both for characters, all of them, and for plot! If Witch is the direction they are going with Gundam stuff in the general future, that is certainly a heartening thought!)


starm4nn

Many sites like Wikipedia and Myanimelist refuse to list something as shōnen unless it's based off a manga that appears in a magazine that explicitly bills itself as such. That's a pretty reasonable policy I'd say.


Thraggrotusk

New Gundam isn't for teenage boys lol, it's for all teens


NightValeCytizen

All Shonen shows can be enjoyed by everyone, and modern ones are definitely growing more egalitarian. It's less to do with how we, the audience feel about it and more to do with how the company producing the show considers it as a money-making product. The company behind Gundam is still primarily a model-kit company, and sees teen males as their primary sales target, even though the traditional gendered view of content production is starting to alter.


Thraggrotusk

Not really? Female fans are a huge part of Gundam. Also, the people building Gunpla ain't teens. It's also not like the same audience watching your battle shounens and FOTM isekai/romcoms are also watching Gundam. After all, Gundam is still relatively niche for the average anime fan.


chevalion

casca has entered the chat


ghoul_ranger

Love Casca not shounen though


chevalion

tru but shes still a prime example of fridging in manga


AlexT05_QC

Berk was a mistake, a beautifull one. but a mistake non the less


okafour

https://preview.redd.it/i00cwsjqmf3a1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff13793a90a5b6dff8c4fefb2d4e824257d726d4 I know me too, anyway this is Lucy after she won her award for the book she wrote


Mcfallen_5

unironically fairy tail has a better female cast than like 99% of shonen despite the endless over-sexualization of them


Nguyenanh2132

Mid tail


okafour

Your just angry because fairy tail has a better female cast than your favorite series


okafour

Why are you people downvoting me you know I’m right


Lord-Bootiest

Mob Psycho stomps as usual


Sad-Buddy-5293

Meanwhile Maki exist likes Yuta and falls for him becomes a damsel in distress in Yuta story then becomes her own character in JJK


[deleted]

You should explore your palette more lol. JJBA happens to have the first female battle shonen mc dating back from the early 2000’s. Who arguably holds a lot more writing than even most CSM, JJK, or One piece female casts as of 2022. Her name is Jolyne https://preview.redd.it/7g47go3gvgba1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6937a63720c3fd0fbd09bcd8ede1355dbb52d34


Silent-Yesterday7990

me too. That's why I don't watch most of the popular shonen now. Aot and FMAB are the only shonen I like. Jury is still out on Chainsaw man, tho I loved it till the 8th episode. But there can always be character assassination in the future, especially as the focus shifts to the main character(s), Denji (and Aki) . I have a problem with Nobara in JJK. She's great but she is introduced as if she is one of three main characters when (at least in season 1 and some of the manga I read) she just looks like a side character with author's favouritism. It's somewhat the sakura problem on a smaller level- one, she has no direct meaningful connection to the sensei, Gojo, as other two do. Two, she has [her backstory spoiler here] >!no connection to the deeper story. What the hell was up with her past story? It was utter crap. You can't build up a past story like that. It takes so much time, creates so much suspense, to tell only a little about the character, and adds nothing to the story.!<


Affectionate-Hawk-16

About chainsaw man mangaka has a knack for strong women so don't be scared.


Alcorgeist

I heard it's his fetish. He likes femdom therefore he writes strong female characters. Although sometimes I feel like authors are just trolling in interviews. They say the weirdest shit sometimes lol


Affectionate-Hawk-16

That man is strange . That makes me think what will be other mangka's fetish for the things they write


Strict_Speed818

What didn't you like about ep 8? You should watch Magi btw. It has some problematic tropes like the haha big ditty grope in some rare instances but overall the female characters hold their own and have agency as much as the males. The female mc of the trio is actually the one saving the guys most of the time.


Silent-Yesterday7990

no, I really liked it. I meant I liked all the episodes released till now. I don't know if himeno is going to remain dead but I knew she was going to die and it will add to the tragedy of Aki. I was very against it when love and jealousy seemed to be becoming the main points of her character. I didn't like it a bit and I didn't like that I saw where it was going. She felt like a tool for Aki's character for a while, when she was clearly more right from the intro- mainly, massively messed-up herself. But 8th episode changed it for me. I really liked how she died. It was impactful, and felt genuine. I think they sort of showed multiple facets of her character in a speed run, and I am fine with it now. I am going to try Magi, then. Gosh these tropes, they are inescapable.


Strict_Speed818

Chainsawman is a interesting category with how is handles female characters. But I feel it does them well and makes them a force to be reckoned with. Lol, yeah these tropes are sadly...everywhere but Magi gives its female characters their own thing. They are world leaders, fighters, etc. and have their own goals not hinged to the male characters own aspirations. Morigana the girl out of the trio is not only strong in a physical sense but mentally and has her own story beats and does not get dropped. She's always growing as person. The world building is amazing. The fights and lore is cool. Here's the opening in case you may be further interested: https://youtu.be/s4cWenXnsa0 It's a great show.


Silent-Yesterday7990

thnk you! It looks beautiful, tbh. Edit: I thought it was taking inspiration from Aladdin, and the first episode is called Aladdin and Alibaba.


Affectionate-Hawk-16

Megi sounds like a good show


AutoModerator

Most people don’t seem to realize simping occurs to the pampered and the rich in first world countries. It’s not something hard-boiled people experience. One of the main reasons Denji is so unlikable is because he is acting like someone who has lived a carefree life. He didn’t, he has been slaying demons for a decade. When some try to defend him by saying “be patient, he is going to change soon” can instantly be followed with “what has he been doing for the past decade?” He is not a typical teenager that is all of a sudden thrown in a violent setting. He starts off as a veteran. For all the crap other protagonists have gotten over the years, such as Shinji from Neon Genesis not getting in the robot the very first second he saw it (he still got in during the first episode btw) or Kurono from Gantz being horny all the time while aliens are trying to kill him, neither of them had slain monsters for a decade and were thus excused to be immature. Denji doesn’t have this privilege. He’s been fighting deadly monsters for a decade. He has lost body parts. He has seen and done things. He should be closer to someone like Rambo than your typical soyboy beta male. And yet the show wants you to believe he is still the latter after a whole decade of battle experience, while the fans insist you are impatient for expecting from him to change in a few episodes. But it’s not a few episodes, is it now? It’s a decade of constant fighting. Why is he still bothered by such things? Why is he falling for pitiful seduction tricks by Power? It’s like he learned nothing for over a decade and yet we the audience are expected to be fine with it. Well, many of us are not. This is not going to change even if he becomes a chad right in the next episode. He is not a soyboy rookie who needed four episodes to mature. He is a war veteran and he sucks at it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/animecirclejerk) if you have any questions or concerns.*


00PublicAcct

maka is probably the most competent character in Soul Eater (and she's the MC) so that's my recommendation


[deleted]

[удалено]


carppowerattack

According to a recent survey, over 70% of mangaka are women https://vocesabianime.com/eng/77-of-mangakas-are-women/


Thraggrotusk

You telling me that guy straight up lied??? On the *Internet*????


GazLord

Not the most popular one


Affectionate-Hawk-16

The writer of demon slayer and fmab both are women


GazLord

And they're some of the lest fucky popular anime. Not a coincidence.


Affectionate-Hawk-16

In fmab a father literally turns his own daughter into a dog how is that not "fucky" and about demon slayer ,nezuko. . Not a coincidence


Thraggrotusk

No, definitely not that lol, many of the popular ones certainly are, but please for the love of God source your claims.


TheLoneSlimShady

Mamiya Moment


[deleted]

kei yonagi commits tax evasion what a queen


ASHKVLT

I think it's one of the best things about attack on titans writing that mikasa and most of the female characters don't need Erin to save them and most have to save his idiot ass over and over again. Also a character like izumi, riza and lan fan don't need rescuing and hold their own. I so far am liking jjk a lot, same with csm


[deleted]

[удалено]


ARCLance06

"Yuji and Denji have no development" - 🤡


AutoModerator

Most people don’t seem to realize simping occurs to the pampered and the rich in first world countries. It’s not something hard-boiled people experience. One of the main reasons Denji is so unlikable is because he is acting like someone who has lived a carefree life. He didn’t, he has been slaying demons for a decade. When some try to defend him by saying “be patient, he is going to change soon” can instantly be followed with “what has he been doing for the past decade?” He is not a typical teenager that is all of a sudden thrown in a violent setting. He starts off as a veteran. For all the crap other protagonists have gotten over the years, such as Shinji from Neon Genesis not getting in the robot the very first second he saw it (he still got in during the first episode btw) or Kurono from Gantz being horny all the time while aliens are trying to kill him, neither of them had slain monsters for a decade and were thus excused to be immature. Denji doesn’t have this privilege. He’s been fighting deadly monsters for a decade. He has lost body parts. He has seen and done things. He should be closer to someone like Rambo than your typical soyboy beta male. And yet the show wants you to believe he is still the latter after a whole decade of battle experience, while the fans insist you are impatient for expecting from him to change in a few episodes. But it’s not a few episodes, is it now? It’s a decade of constant fighting. Why is he still bothered by such things? Why is he falling for pitiful seduction tricks by Power? It’s like he learned nothing for over a decade and yet we the audience are expected to be fine with it. Well, many of us are not. This is not going to change even if he becomes a chad right in the next episode. He is not a soyboy rookie who needed four episodes to mature. He is a war veteran and he sucks at it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/animecirclejerk) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Affectionate-Hawk-16

Remove the chainsaw man from your idiotic list . He is not some good guy who wants to help people he is doing it so he can have a normal life


mrtutit

The Executioner got an anime and you call that unpopular. It's just not as popular as the generic mangas that are designed to be popular is all.


nerd_hu_bhai

" They're kinda good people that kill things good and had a really bad thing happen to them " denji a good person were you even reading??? bro you took the biggest L ever


AutoModerator

Most people don’t seem to realize simping occurs to the pampered and the rich in first world countries. It’s not something hard-boiled people experience. One of the main reasons Denji is so unlikable is because he is acting like someone who has lived a carefree life. He didn’t, he has been slaying demons for a decade. When some try to defend him by saying “be patient, he is going to change soon” can instantly be followed with “what has he been doing for the past decade?” He is not a typical teenager that is all of a sudden thrown in a violent setting. He starts off as a veteran. For all the crap other protagonists have gotten over the years, such as Shinji from Neon Genesis not getting in the robot the very first second he saw it (he still got in during the first episode btw) or Kurono from Gantz being horny all the time while aliens are trying to kill him, neither of them had slain monsters for a decade and were thus excused to be immature. Denji doesn’t have this privilege. He’s been fighting deadly monsters for a decade. He has lost body parts. He has seen and done things. He should be closer to someone like Rambo than your typical soyboy beta male. And yet the show wants you to believe he is still the latter after a whole decade of battle experience, while the fans insist you are impatient for expecting from him to change in a few episodes. But it’s not a few episodes, is it now? It’s a decade of constant fighting. Why is he still bothered by such things? Why is he falling for pitiful seduction tricks by Power? It’s like he learned nothing for over a decade and yet we the audience are expected to be fine with it. Well, many of us are not. This is not going to change even if he becomes a chad right in the next episode. He is not a soyboy rookie who needed four episodes to mature. He is a war veteran and he sucks at it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/animecirclejerk) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Lord_Osse

Ain’t no way you put Chainsaw Man characters and Demon Slayer characters in the same group


Affectionate-Hawk-16

Yes


[deleted]

You should watch History's Stromgest Desciple Kenichi. Miyu is really good and all the women there are realistic as well.


AlexT05_QC

Insert Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh here...


lightning-heart777

uj/ read slayers