DANDADAN is a wild and exciting new shonen anime that stars a male/female duo of heroes, Momo Ayase and the boy known as Okarun. Momo Ayase is a refreshing shonen heroine, a bold and brave teenage girl who will always stand up to bullies or monsters while pushing other people to be stronger like her. So far in DANDADAN, Momo is the best part of this anime as a hard-hitting heroine with psychic powers, and her electric personality is also fun to watch.
Still, Momo Ayase has a long way to go before she can rank among the very best shonen girls. There are plenty of shonen girls out there already who either do what Momo does better than she can (so far), or they are more compelling in other ways entirely. Many of these top-tier shonen girls are powerful heroines who have saved the day many times with their own two hands, or they are charming, empathetic people whose personality and emotional depth make them fandom favorites.
10 Rukia Kuchiki is a Tough Tsundere With an Icy Zanpakuto
She’s the First Soul Reaper Whom Ichigo Ever Met
The Bleach anime introduced viewers to countless black-robed Soul Reapers, with Rukia Kuchiki being a fan-favorite among them. She was the first to appear in the show, a delightful reverse-isekai heroine who had strong chemistry with Ichigo Kurosaki as a fellow tsundere with a good heart. What followed was an excellent friendship between them, with a dash of romantic tension.
Rukia’s arc was about her overcoming her grief and baggage while striving to embrace her own true strength at last. She had been through a lot, but over time, Rukia found real happiness and glowed up considerably as a Soul Reaper. She went from a grief-stricken victim to a mighty warrior with an icy shikai and bankai in hand, making her foster brother immensely proud of her.
Bleach revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a regular always-grouchy high-schooler who for some strange reason is able to see the souls of the dead around him.
- Release Date
- October 5, 2004
- Cast
- Masakazu Morita , Fumiko Orikasa , Hiroki Yasumoto , Yuki Matsuoka , Noriaki Sugiyama , Kentarô Itô , Shinichirô Miki , Hisayoshi Suganuma
- Seasons
- 17 Seasons
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
- Production Company
- TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Pierrot
- Number of Episodes
- 366 Episodes
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu , Prime Video
9 Mitsuri Kanroji Accepted Herself For Exactly Who She Is
Her Backstory Didn’t Need Trauma to be Compelling
While most of the Hashira had brutally tragic flashback sequences to show in Demon Slayer, usually involving the death of loved ones, Mitsuri Kanroji had a different story entirely. She didn’t suffer violence or loss in her girlhood — instead, she had the more relatable struggle of accepting herself for who she was. The problem was that Mitsuri’s huge appetite and immense strength didn’t fit with the traditional image of femininity.
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Mitsuri felt stuck between society’s norms and her own true self, but with her parents’ guidance and newfound resolve, Mitsuri figured herself out. She was much happier being her true self for all to see, and that confidence carried over to her new career in the Demon Slayer Corps as a proud and dependable Hashira — in particular, the flashy Love Hashira.
- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Cast
- Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Akari Kitō , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
- Seasons
- 5
8 Erza Scarlet is Like Everyone’s Big Sister
She’s a Stablizing Element in the Fairy Tail Guild
From the very start in the Fairy Tail anime, Erza Scarlet ranked among the strongest members of her guild, and that fact never changed even when her friends regularly powered up. Erza was like a big sister figure for everone, being a mature, responsible, and tough young woman who could even keep troublemakers like Natsu and Gray in line.
That made Erza one of the most reliable and dependable characters in the show, because no matter what happened, the brave Erza was right there to fight the villains with her immense power. Erza was brutal to her enemies and kind yet stern to her allies, contrasting her with gentler characters like Lisanna and Wendy Marvell.
Lucy, an aspiring Celestial Wizard, becomes a friend and ally to powerful wizards Natsu, Gray, and Erza, who are part of the (in)famous wizard guild, Fairy Tail.
- Release Date
- October 12, 2009
- Creator(s)
- Hiro Mashima , Masashi Sogo
- Cast
- Cherami Leigh , Todd Haberkorn , Tia Lynn Ballard , Colleen Clinkenbeard , Newton Pittman , Brittney Karbowski , Monical Rial , Brina Palencia
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 9
- Writers
- Hiro Mashima , Masashi Sogo
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Franchise(s)
- Fairy Tail
- Directors
- Shinji Ishihira
7 Nobara Kugisaki Raised the Bar For Shonen Girls
She Has Nothing to Prove to Anyone
It didn’t take long for the shonen community to gladly embrace Nobara Kugisaki the sorcerer as one of anime’s most wonderful Best Girls. Nobara set a new standard for shonen girls by being confident in herself and openly rejecting any societal norms or debates about “men this” and “women that.” Nobara is determined to comfortably be her own self as a 21st century girl, no more or less.
That endeared Nobara to the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom, and she rounded it out with some delightful comedy to show her lighter side. Nobara soon formed a hysterical comedy duo with her new friend Yuji Itadori, and on the battlefield, Nobara wowed everyone with her unique curse sorcery and her reckless courage when facing monsters like the Cursed Womb brothers.
Jujutsu Kaisen
A boy swallows a cursed talisman – the finger of a demon – and becomes cursed himself. He enters a shaman’s school to be able to locate the demon’s other body parts and thus exorcise himself.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2020
- Cast
- Junya Enoki , Yuma Uchida , Yuichi Nakamura , Adam McArthur , Asami Seto
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Gege Akutami
- Main Characters
- Yuji Itadori, Satoru Gojo, Ryomen Sukuna
- Production Company
- Mappa, TOHO animation
- Number of Episodes
- 47 Episodes
6 Itsuka Kendo Earned Her Place as 1-B’s Class Rep
She Has Leadership Skills and a Mature Personality
My Hero Academia fans can rank Itsuka Kendo as one of the many “tough but fair” shonen girls who are always like a responsible big sister figure for everyone around them. Itsuka isn’t just a foil for troublemakers like Neito Monoma, though — she is also an ideal leader, who is why class 1-B voted her in as their class rep.
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Like her counterpart Momo Yaoyorozu, Itsuka is a smart and tactical student hero who can keep a team together in any battle. The best example was when Itsuka led her team to a narrow victory in the joint training exercise, impressing everyone by fighting Momo on her on terms and winning.
My Hero Academia (2016)
Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.
- Release Date
- April 3, 2016
- Cast
- Aoi Yuki , Ayane Sakura , Christopher R. Sabat , Yûki Kaji , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Luci Christian , David Matranga , Justin Briner , Kenta Miyake , Clifford Chapin , Daiki Yamashita
- Rating
- Seasons
- 7
- Franchise
- My Hero Academia
- Characters By
- Kohei Horikoshi
- Distributor
- FUNimation Entertainment
- Main Characters
- Tsuyu Asui, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, All Might
- Production Company
- Bones
- Story By
- Kōhei Horikoshi, Yōsuke Kuroda
- Number of Episodes
- 113
5 Kikoru Shinomiya is Tough, Strong, and Surprisingly Bashful
She’s Her Generation’s Best Kaiju Hunter
Within just a few episodes in Kaiju No. 8, Kikoru Shinomiya established herself as one of the best kaiju hunters of her generation. She easily led the pack during the training exams, outstripping Ren and the others with her remarkably high combat suit syncro rate and her devastating combat skills. In particular, Kikoru shone while using giant scythe-shaped weapons in battle against kaiju of all sizes.
Personality-wise, Kikoru is a real treat to watch, with her being a cocky, expressive, and oddly bashful teenage warrior who likes to show off but gets flustered whenever Kafka Hibino gets too close. That makes Kikoru finely balanced between her warrior side and her original self as a somewhat relatable teenage girl, and it helps that she has a strong sense of fairness and justice, too.
Kaiju No. 8
Kafka Hibino merges with a kaiju and gains powers, leading him to attempt his childhood dream in Kaiju No. 8.
- Release Date
- 2024-04-00
- Cast
- Fairouz Ai , Wataru Katou , Masaya Fukunishi
- Studio
- Production I.G.
- Main Cast
- Masaya Fukunishi, Fairouz Ai, Wataru Katou
4 Fern is a Tsundere Wizard With Incredible Magic
She is Both Frieren’s Daughter and Mother Figure
While Frieren the magical elf is the powerhouse protagonist of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the fandom adores her human apprentice Fern even more. Fern was found and raised by Heiter the retired hero, and when Heiter asked Frieren to train Fern, it was like Heiter’s legacy lived on in Fern’s form. Frieren gladly agreed to train Fern after Heiter’s death, and it meant a lot to everyone.
Fern may be a quiet and aloof teenage girl, but she is also a courageous and bold wizard who never backs down from a challenge, which balances her personality well. She is a formidable magic user who learned much from the best mentor she could ask for, and Fern also has wonderful chemistry with her warrior friend, the axe-wielding Stark.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
An elf and her friends defeat a demon king in a great war. But the war is over, and the elf must search for a new way of life.
- Release Date
- September 29, 2023
- Cast
- Atsumi Tanezaki , Kana Ichinose , Mallorie Rodak , Jill Harris
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator
- Tsukasa Abe, Kanehito Yamada
- Production Company
- Aniplex, Dentsu, Madhouse, Shogakukan, TOHO animation, Toho
3 Ino Yamanaka Was Sakura’s Best Friend After All
There’s More to Her Than Competing For Sasuke’s Affections
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For a time, the Naruto anime largely defined Ino Yamanaka by her shonen-style rivalry with Sakura Haruno and those girls’ competition to win over Sasuke Uchiha’s affection, but none of that is the core of who Ino really is. Even if she’s a bit vain or hot-tempered, Ino has a warm and heroic heart, as proven when she inspired a young Sakura to view herself as a bud that merely needed a chance to blossom.
That was Ino at her best, and after she and Sakura fought in the Chunin Exam, their friendship was restored, bringing out the best in both of them. Ino demonstrated the power of teamwork and friendship many times after that while also expanding her skills with medical jutsu and ever more advanced types of communication genjutsu.
Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village’s leader and strongest ninja.
- Release Date
- September 10, 2002
- Cast
- Junko Takeuchi , Maile Flanagan , Kate Higgins
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Production Company
- Pierrot, Staralis Film Company
- Number of Episodes
- 220
2 Azazel Ameri is the Hard-Hitting Student Council President at Babyls
She Always Fights Her Own Battles
In her daily life, Azazel Ameri the demon doesn’t fight anyone and does her best to humbly support all her fellow Babyls students as their council president. Azazel also showed her bashful, romantic side many times in Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun, mostly concerning the ahodere student Iruma Suzuki. However, Ameri was no pushover, because while humble in her duties, Azazel was also Babyls’ toughest and smartest student.
Ameri had finely honed leadership skills and could take command of any situation, no matter how rowdy the other demons were acting. As for combat, Azazel Ameri is a skilled kicker who can use the power of her bloodline ability, Romanticist, to power up. So long as she maintains her confidence, Ameri can even take on giant monsters and vanquish them with just a few blows while in that form.
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
A human child is adopted by a demon and sent to a demon school. He must find a way to survive in the dangerous but fun world he has entered.
- Release Date
- October 5, 2019
- Cast
- Ayumu Murase , Daisuke Ono , Saori Hayami
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- Bandai Namco Pictures
- Creator
- Osamu Nishi
- Number of Episodes
- 65
1 Riza Hawkeye is Roy Mustang’s Friend and Conscience
Riza Never Lost Her Humanity in War
Although she saw the horrors of the Ishval Civil War up close as a sniper, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye never internalized the darkness that surrounded her. She emotionally distanced herself from her gruesome work, then embraced an emotionally supportive role for people like Roy Mustang and even Edward Elric. She was their friend, fellow fighter, and their voice of reason.
That was exactly who Roy Mustang needed by his side when he confronted Envy during the Promised Day. Roy was about to destroy Envy in a fit of vengeful rage, only for Riza to talk him down, with Scar and Edward backing her up partway through. That was how Riza served as Roy’s better half and proved herself one of shonen’s best girls of all.
Two brothers search for a Philosopher’s Stone after an attempt to revive their deceased mother goes awry and leaves them in damaged physical forms.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2009
- Cast
- Romi Park , Rie Kugimiya , Vic Mignogna , Maxey Whitehead
- Seasons
- 1
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