Summary
There are plenty of anime withstrong female leads, with titles likeSailor Moon, theGhost in the Shellseries, andRevolutionary Girl Utenabeing some of the most well-known. These titles paved the way for other qualityanime with female protagonists.
Some leading ladies have made their name in the anime world with their strength, while others are primarily known for their brains. If there’s one thing they all have in common, it’s determination. These ladies won’t let anything stop them from doing their jobs or accomplishing their goals. Let’s highlight the best anime with female MCs.
Here are a few criteria:
Updated on June 16, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Thebest anime with female main charactershas received a few new contenders from theSpring 2025 season. While too early to definitively rank them, the lineup’s standout shows deserve to be watched.
Exciting Spring 2025 Anime With Female Protagonists
Winter 2025had plenty of greatanime with female MCs, including a show (The Apothecary Diaries) that is still airing episodes during Spring 2025. As fantastic a character as Maomao is, she is hardly the current season’s only great leading lady. Spring 2025 has arguably one of the strongest lineups of female-led shows in a long time. Let’s highlight the season’s best shows that are driven by girls and women.
InYou’re Under Arrest, Natsumi Tsujimoto is a young woman who’s just starting her new job at the police station. On her way there, she gets cited by an officer, Miyuki Kobayakawa. When Natsumi arrives at the precinct, she finds out her partner will be none other than Miyuki. What starts as a rocky partnership turns into a friendship that both of them come to cherish.
The show mostly centers around Miyuki and Natsumi, but the supporting characters also play a big part. It’s a good choice for anyone wanting to seea cast mostly made of womenwith buddy cop vibes. The animation might be a little outdated, but that shouldn’t stop viewers from seeing this underrated gem.
Madlax is a young woman who is a mercenary and seems to have almost supernatural skills. Margaret Burton is a 19-year-old girl who attends a college for aristocratic families. Neither of them can remember anything from over twelve years ago, and the word “Madlax” is something both of them know, but can’t explain how. When a book given to Margaret attracts the attention of a criminal network, the two young women meet and travel together to find out the truth about it and themselves.
It starts a little slow, but once the action starts, it doesn’t stop. Both Margaret and Madlax are strong women but in very different ways. Madlax has been hardened by her time as a mercenary but is still a gentlewoman when not fighting. Margaret may not have any combat experience, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to learn the truth.
An oldie, but goodie that still holds up today. Sarasa is a young woman whose twin brother, Tatara, was chosen to be the savior of Japan who will stop the tyrannical rule of the Red King. However, Tatara is killed when their village is destroyed and Sarasa pretends to be him to keep hope alive and avenge her brother’s death.
Though she’s quick to cry and has some moments of weakness, Sarasa doesn’t give in to the pressure and remains strong in her mission to avenge Tatara. Thoughthe animation is outdated, fans should check this anime if they’re looking for a good anime with a strong female lead.
Shurei Hong is a young woman who dreams of having a government job, but this post is forbidden to women. Her family has fallen on hard times and Shurei works various odd jobs to make money. However, her luck changes when the emperor’s grand advisor asks her to be the emperor’s consort and teach the emperor, Ryuki Shi, to be a good ruler. Shurei takes this opportunity as a way to make money, but also make her dreams come true.
It’s inspiring to see Shurei working with whatshe has to achieve her goalsand not let it get her down. Court life and politics aren’t things to blow off and Shurei is determined to make Ryuki into a great emperor.
Cocona is a middle school girl whose life is pretty ordinary until she meets the mysterious and eccentric Papika. Papika decides to bring Cocona into Flip Flap, an organization looking for strange fragments that can grant wishes in another world. During their second mission, they are sent to another world to defeat a monster, but a rival magical group defeats it. Cocona and Papika become determined to perfect their transformations and get stronger so they can collect more fragments.
Flip Flappersis a prettygood show for magical girl fanswho want something a little more zany than traditional shows likeSailor Moonand not dark likePuella Magi Madoka Magica. This is a more comedic and lighthearted show that focuses more on the coming-of-age aspects.
Pretearis amagical girl animethat combines aspects ofCinderellaandSnow White and the Seven Dwarves. Himeno Awayuki is learning to deal with her new life when her father marries a rich woman with two daughters. She questions her place since her father is neglectful and her stepmother and stepsisters make her life miserable. Destiny intervenes when seven knights appear before her and tell her she’s the Pretear. The Pretear is the only one capable of destroying monstrous beings known as Demon Larva and must stop the Princess of Disaster from spreading them.
Himeno doesn’t get too much time to process everything and agrees to help. She uses her free time to train herself as quickly as possible to become stronger. Her confidence and strength are constantly being tested by everyone around her. Luckily, she’s able to pull herself together with some help from the Knights.
Canaanis a mystery-thriller anime about photographer Maria Osawa looking for the next newsworthy story along with her partner Mino. After hearing about some strange events happening at a local carnival, Maria’s life is flipped upside down.
She gets caught up in a large plot over a deadly virus that could threaten humanity. Luckily, she is protected by her old friend Canaan, a mercenary seeking revenge on her former teammate, Alphard. All three women are connected andthe series follows thisas Canaan and Maria work together. Alphard might seem like a typical villain leading a terrorist group, but there’s more to her than meets the eye.
This anime follows the everyday lives of a group of female students and their two teachers. Chiyo is a child prodigy student who’s struggling to find her place in the school, poor Sakaki loves cute animals but they seem to hate her, Ayumu’s too busy daydreaming the day away, Yomi struggles to be the voice of reason for her crazy friends, Tomo has mastered the paradoxical art of being an energetic slacker, and Kagura is struggling with her one-sided athletic rivalry with Sakaki. Meanwhile, teachers Yukari and Minamo, are hilariously struggling to navigate relationships and work.
This is onegreat comedy animefor anyone who doesn’t want to follow a complex storyline. It’s just following the girls and teachers as they live normal lives but with that perfect blend of anime absurdity and outbursts.
Middle school students Madoka and Sayaka discover the world of magical girls after meeting Kyubey, a mysterious talking cat-like being. Kyuybey offers them a wish in exchange for their souls and become magical girls. However, they quickly learn that being a magical girl isn’t what they thought it would be and that the truth is much darker and deadlier than anything they could ever imagine.
If anime fans are looking for a pretty dark magical girl anime, this one is it.Puella Magi Madoka Magicashows that not everything is sunshine and rainbows for the girls who choose to become magical girls. Not to mention Kyuybey shows that just because something looks cute, doesn’t mean it’s good.
Narumi Motose is a young woman who’s excited to start her new job. After being shown around the office, she runs into her childhood otaku friend, Hirotaka Nifuji. Though happy to see him again, she tries to hurry away before he reveals her otaku lifestyle in front of their coworkers, Hanako Koyanagi and Taro Kabakura. Little does she know, Koyanagi and Kabakura are also otakus and a friendship between the four of them blossoms.
The anime gives equal screen time to all four characters, but Narumi and Koyanagi’s scenes are comedy gold. The two of them share a lot of similarities with a strong love for cosplay (in Narumi’s case, she doesn’t dress up but admires those who do), BL manga and anime, and video games. Even when they have disagreements, it’s hilarious to watch and a breath of fresh air that they don’t get toxic.
