Shonen girls who shine...or lack thereof

[DokiDokiTsuna]

So recently I saw a Tumblr post lamenting the lack of female characters in shonen media who, in their words, are utilized to their 'full potential'.

Obviously, this is not a new problem (I started picking up on that when I was about 6, so...), but it got me wondering if, maybe, there were one or two maybe lesser-known shows out there that actually do their girls justice. And since there are plenty of anime fans here, I thought I'd ask y'all.

I don't really watch any shonen anime (partly due to this very problem...I know it would annoy me to no end, so I just stay out of the genre entirely). So I can't contribute any answers of my own. But I can at least suggest some guidelines:

• Here we will define 'full potential' as a girl who is an active, equal participant in both the main plot and the ventures of the main cast...like, in a show about fighters, she should be a fighter (and on par with the MC).
  Girls who pull their weight as useful characters despite having lesser/background roles are nice, but I don't think that's what we're looking for here.
  It would also be really cool if she were a MAIN main character, as in 'even the big season finale conflict cannot proceed without her direct involvement and subsequent badassery'...but I'm not holding my breath for that one.

• Here we will define 'shonen' more or less stereotypically: as in, a show geared toward the typical male viewer (action-oriented, heavily featuring violence/conflict), complete with one or more male MCs.
  People were giving some weird examples as counterarguments under the aforementioned post...for instance, The Promised Neverland (in what world do you call that a shonen anime?? Like, I haven't watched it, but I am 99% sure that is not correct), and Soul Eater (haven't watched that either, but...the girl in question is the MC, isn't she? She's kind of required to have a starring role...)

The point is, 'what about this random cool girl character' is not an acceptable answer...like, we already know they exist; that's not the point. Please stay in-genre.

• Personally-- and I do mean personally, as in just my opinion-- if you suggest a female character from one of the Big Three, or any other huge shonen franchise (like BnHA) I'm not going to believe you. ^^; I feel like if there were any exceptionally-written girl MCs from series with that kind of reach, I would have heard about them by now.
  I mean, you're certainly free to try...but I would need a lot of convincing.

About the second half of the title: it would be disappointing, but I am very prepared for the event that there just...aren't any. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. =/
It doesn't matter that much to me, though. Let shonen writers keep sidelining their female characters if that's all they can think to do; seinen and other 'middlish' genres that don't really pander to strict gender norms will probably drive them into extinction eventually anyway.

I truly believe that, by the way. Co-ed casts are getting more common, and unlike shoujo, shonen stories don't have a lot of gimmicks that are specific to the genre, besides battle/rivalry tropes...which plenty of female characters are already using in their own stories. I think it's only a matter of time.

[IndigoShirtProd]

I've always thought that Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail was a good female character. I mean she has her flaws but she's capable of pulling her weight, many subplots revolve around her where she takes an active role, and she grows as a character.
The thing is that although Lucy is the main character of FT she's not the protagonist, Natsu is. The story is told from her perspective, mainly, but it's mostly about Natsu. She does get damselled the most I'm pretty sure, but I think everyone whose a main character gets damselled at some point.

[GesuGesu]

Weekly Shounen Jump magazine.

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Maki (Green hair with glasses). She's strong, born without powers, but makes up for it with tools and physical strength. She's a supporting character from the second years.

Nobara is among the main 3 as one of the only first-year students in the academy.

Emma from the Promised Neverland is literally the main character:

Shounen Jump+ Magazine

From Astra Lost in Space:
Aries Spring shares a role as a main character with the cast of 10 main characters as students stranded in space.

Monthly Shounen Jump Magazine

Claymore
Clare, the main character.

Ultra Jump Magazine

JOjo's Bizarre Adventure

Jolyne is the main character of Part 6.

[djourner]

I don't think lucy really fits as her power level is definetlly lower than the main three (Natsu, Grey and Erza).

Erza on the other hand fits all the above requirements, her personality is great (a bit shallow but all characters in fairy tail are tropey), and she is actually STRONGER than the MC in a lot of things, but her magic can't 'kill dragons' as easily so she often stands back and fights the 'second biggest threat' of the season.
Fairy tail actually features two, mirajane also falls on that but she is a tertiary and rarely does anything. Especially compared to Erza who has a battle on every season.

@DokiDokiTsuna Also, Maka is definetly a good example as she is 100% the main character of that anime (even if kid is my favorite) And she is very proactive and even more decisive than the boys.

[IndigoShirtProd]

I personally don't qualify her as a MAIN main character rather a SIDE main character which is why I didn't bring her up. I do agree with the points you brought up though, she is a powerful and active character. However, her narrative influence is often periphery to Natsu and Lucy.

[djourner]

Problem with fairy tail is that none of the characters affect the plot all that much, the main 4 have SOMETHING to do every arc, but generally they do very little overal and the main plot only shows up and gets resolved in like 2 arcs in the end.

So yeah, since it is a purely episodic thing, i'd argue her having a participation in every 'episode' makes her part of the main cast. But I tottaly get your point, Fairy tail is hard to explain overall. xD

[IndigoShirtProd]

Yea I agree she's a part of the main cast, she's just not one of the two main main characters.

[djourner]

I do think the problem with shonen girls, comes from it being mostly marketed at... Boys age 12-18
Boys who don't nescessarily care much for female representation, and some of which actually don't want to see that. And would rather see more power trips mangas.

But as time goes on writer themselves have become more aware and have begun fixing that problem, I just don't think there is going to be a 'fix' any time soon.

[Kaydreamer]

It's not an anime, but if I were a soulless marketing executive, I'd say The Dragon Prince is a more boy-targeted, action-oriented show. So, western shounen. And Rayla kicks some serious ass.

[SurvivALIST]

I like this one. Violet Evergarden. She's the main character and she's once a child soldier before becoming a writer.

Is she an MC shonen?

[thedude3445]

The Promised Neverland (in what world do you call that a shonen anime?? Like, I haven't watched it, but I am 99% sure that is not correct)

Shounen is a demographic term, not a genre. It means mangas published for the young boy reader, primarily the 8-12 group, and Promised Neverland was published in Weekly Shounen Jump, so it's firmly in that demographic.

Going on that line, Gaku from Qualia the Purple is one of the most shining Shounen protagonists ever.

Sadly, Qualia the Purple is too short for a full 12-episode anime, and too dense for a single 90-minute movie. It might never get an adaptation anywhere.

[TheGentleArtist]

Noelle and Mimosa from Black Clover. This series has well-written female characters and these two come to mind with the aforementioned requirements.

[ylldre]

I don’t think i’ve ever seen one in shounen either. This frustrated me as well when i was still in shonen manga phase. Not anymore though. The only manga i’d give a chance nowadays would be seinen like mushishi etc.

[Kittyfox]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Demon Slayer/Kimetsu, it's got some strong female characters! Nezuko and Shinobu are two really well written characters that are important in the plot, and they both have unique abilities and personalities.

[ar-ninetysix]

Um, yeah, I wouldn't bring her up either lol

Much as I adore the anime and manga, Nezuko literally gets muzzled and carried around by Tanjiro throughout the plot, and is somewhat treated like a 5-year-old outside of battle. I'd be lying if I said she directly moves the plot forward out of her own will bc she acts as more of a handy weapon than a full character in Season 1 and the movie. Lemme tell you the OP is definitely not looking for this lmao

As for Shinobu, I also think she's cool.. but I don't think she has enough presence in the anime rn to be considered a main character either. Matter of fact, given the next arc that's gonna be adapted for season 2, it's gonna be quite a while before we see her again! She's more of a side character tbh

[darthmongoose]

I was so bummed out about the lack of interesting and narrative-important female characters who don't get weirdly objectified in shounen it was pretty much the inspiration for my entire comics career.

I quite like Ochako in My Hero Academia, but she's under-used in the plot (because apparently instead of more development of Deku's interesting classmates, what we needed was an excessively long arc all about the villains?). Saber and Rin in FSN are both great characters with strong plot relevance, but both get used for some really creepy and weird fanservice. It can be really hard to find a shounen heroine who checks the three boxes:

• Has a distinct personality and goals beyond "I want a hot guy to notice me".
• Actively does things that contribute towards the narrative moving forward (being a passive damsel in distress or the hero's motivation don't count).
• Is treated with equal respect by the "camera" as the male characters. Is not put in a compromising or humiliating situation that a male character in the same series never would be.

I feel like the FF7 remake versions of Aerith and Tifa do pretty well at hitting all three in a game with a very shounen tone.

[djourner]

Just because no one mentioned it.
@DokiDokiTsuna how about shojo anime?

I know most of them can be a bit of a turn off for some people as they often fall on the excessively slife-of-lifey moe blob cesspoll, but there are some that are legitimately good.

Cof, Cof Little Witch Academia Cof, Cof

[R.n.P]

read black clover, a shonen manga
all the female characters in the show shine and its not forced,non are mary sue and all get very awesome character development.

[Kittyfox]

Nezuko does get character development later on in the manga, forgot about how she was in the beginning lmao-

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