This is How You Write Women In Anime! (Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Clover, And More)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Today we are talking about Writing Female Characters in Anime and Manga ! I hope you all enjoyed,
Thanks so much for watching!
Merch: www.teepublic....
Follow me on social media to keep up with the channel!
Patreon: bit.ly/39Kt9Jk
Discord: / discord
Twitch: / axellianyt
Twitter: bit.ly/3p6otE0
Instagram: bit.ly/3sCNc5o
Channel Intro / Outro Song: bit.ly/3nP18oZ
So you think a male character is only fully well written if their masculinity traits are relevant to his story or it's only in the case of women?
I think in an ideal situation every trait of every character should be considered and explored. If they choose to make a character male rather than female, there should be some reason for it- so at some point I would love for their masculinity to be examined. Obviously this doesn't have to be a big thing on either side, I just think if authors looked at things in a "use everything" mentality that we wouldn't end up in this "male by default" system that we have now.
Bot
@@AxelBeats Pidge´s gender switch in Voltron Legendary Defender didn´t really affected her arc or the story as a whole, her main purpose was to find her brother and father, and her "fake identity"wasn´t really about hiding her gender, but hiding the fact she was related to them from her superiors so she could continue her quest and investigation, funnily enough, almost everyone already knew her secret by the time she comes clean about it, and just continued being "Pidge".
All in all, if Pidge had been kept as a male boy, it still wouldnt have affected much.
@@AxelBeats there... are people who aren't very masculine despite being male, or that aren't very feminine despite being female. So... not all male characters should have their masculinity traits explored? SAme for women, not all would express femininity Doesn't make sense to me, after all, depends on the character
@@mparagames and if an author is actively making the choice to make a masculine leaning female, or a feminine leaning male, those are also factors they are taking into account in the character design. I'm not saying every man needs to be a buff aggro body builder and every woman needs to be a princess. I'm saying there is a scale of gender expression which should be considered when selecting elements of your character.
I wonder why Inuyasha, sailor moon and fullmetal alchemist have great female characters….
Fullmetal alchemist was written by a woman so that helps by a lot
@@ben0789 yeah that’s what I was implying :)
I think those three animes were written by women.
When you don't know: ???
When you know: 💕
I love those 3 animes
I love those three, never knew they were written by a woman!!!
Altough not a shonen (I'd say it's a thriller, maybe seinen), I quite like how Psycho-Pass handles female characters, especially the MC Tsunemori. She's a rookie, and we actually see her grow from her experiences and develop as a character as the story progresses. She feels like an actual person with internal struggles an complexities, not an after thought which is sadly how many female characters end up depicted within anime at large.
I think it's worth mentioning that Psycho-Pass was written by a man. This shows that not only women are capable of writing complex female characters (ie InuYasha, FMA, Nana, etc), it's just that men often just don't bother, instead giving majority of their time and attention to their male characters, to which they maybe feel they can relate more. IDK, last part's just a theory of course.
The man behind Psycho-Pass also wrote Puella Magi Madoka Magika. It's a story that explores female adolescence, it's pitfalls and bright sides, and gives us the absolute best mom in Junko Kaname, who's a successful business woman, and a wonderful stay-at-home dad who raise a brilliant daughter.
Yes, some men put in the effort to understand both women and girls. And that makes the ones who use excuses like 'I don't know how to write women' sound absolutely idiotic.
@@MahiMahi-yu5jo THIS, thank you I totally forgot about Madoka Magika! Let's stop giving these men a pass for writing mediocre, gimmicky female characters on the account that they're men so "they can't relate to female experience so it's harder for them to write a well rounded character". If this man can, they absolutely can too.
@@_danicalifornia Ikr. Like so many say that weakly written girls and women in shounen is fine because of the target audience, but just because it's catered to teenage boys it doesn't mean it has to be sexist towards female characters.
@@victoriazhu9381 also, the idea that the target audience for shonen is boys is deeply sexist. I know many women that love shonen, hell one of my favorite manga/anime of all time IS a shonen (Bleach). And maybe, if the authors fleshed out their female characters a bit more, there'd be an even bigger girl fanbase. But they won't even give us the chance.
Yep, Akane is a dope character in every sense of the word. I think bc Pyscho pass isn’t shounen it has more freedom to do female characters Justice
As someone who works with animation and storytelling, this video is a good stepping stone for beginners. When developing any character, whatever is said or what the character do should be important. In regards to animation and storytelling, "show, don't tell" is the most effective way to develop a character.
Absolutely agree! Demonstrate the character's meaning, don't explain it. I'm glad you enjoyed!
there are exceptions to the show dont tell rule....have you read onepiece??? lmao
@@mookiestewart3776 There is, of course, exceptions to the rule. And I have, hahaha. Oda uses it to foreshadow events that would leave a more significant impact. He tells, yeah, but it's usually vague enough to still have shock value. I'm not personally caught up with One Piece, but I admire how he world-build his prized series.
@@AxelBeats Nagisa (clannad) is a good girl caractered??
Ironically, a lot of my favorite female characters are written by Togashi Yoshihiro of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter fame. Probably because he seems to share my love of sassy and competent old women, Genkai probably being both my favorite mentor character in shonen and one of my favorite female characters. Keiko is one of the only girlfriend characters I actually like because her being done with Yusuke makes sense and their relationship seems realer than "the story says we're love interests therefore we are". HxH has a lot of winners too like with any female member of the Phantom Troupe (honestly all Phantom Troupers are winners) and Bisky who is almost as excellent a mentor and sassy competent old lady as Genkai
If you are a manga reader we could also add any of the princes and Theta to the HxH list. Also Tsubone and Canary are huge Ws.
Very informative as always, Axel. I love how to created a great blueprint on what should go into a female character and the questions that authors and script writers should ask on what makes a character that particular character. I can't wait for the next video you put out. I came out of this one with more knowledge and broader perspective on how to view character development. =)
I absolutely enjoyed this video. A high quality debate, I love it.
Totally agree on the fact that in writing every single aspect of a character counts. In fact nothing is random as the author has to decide for every detail. I personally always love to have background and some kind of explanation for what motivates them. Well written characters should have that I guess.
For the choice, not an easy one.
In my opinion Kikyo (Inuyasha) is really well written, like she's the impersonification of the tragic fate, with all the steps from hoping, trying to escape, failing and losing hope (even pushing the tragedy further), raging against it and finally acceptance. And all of this displayed "on scene" and for the audience to witness step by step.
And I agree with your other honorable mentions (those being good females and good characters all together, at least with thise I know)
For poorly written female characters I feel like there seem to be more... hard to pick one.
There definitely are worse, but I have to think of Keiko from Yu Yu Hakusho as an example. She feels mostly "reduced" to either the "damsel in distress" or the "worried girlfriend", like she had little personality on her own.
So, I agree with most of this, in that nothing is random and the author does have a lot of control in how each character is presented, and I do agree with a lot of what the video said.
That said, I don't want to start anything, but when you immediately pick Keiko as your example of a poorly written female character, I feel like I should provide a counter-argument of why I believe she isn't poorly written. Do I think that she is exceptionally well-written, or one of my female anime characters of all time, no I don't, but I don't believe she is badly written and I really like her character. This isn't meant to shame you for your opinion on her, I'm just giving mine as a response.
There are two important pieces of context for Keiko's character that need to be established before I go into more detail. The first is that she is an ordinary 14-year old girl, with no spiritual powers or fighting prowess. The second, and the most important one, is that in the first episode, Yusuke died. He didn't just get badly injured from a fight or accident, he flat out died and it was only through a once in a century opportunity that he was able to come back.
So the first criticism is that the story damsels her too much, but I recently re-watched Yu Yu Hakusho, and the only time where Keiko was reduced to a damsel in distress was when Hiei captured her to turn her into a demon slave. The other time when Keiko was targeted to get to Yusuke, she wasn't damseled, as Botan meets up with her and the two work together to get out of the situation with the zombiefied teachers during the Saint Beasts Arc. For the rest of the story, whenever Keiko is involved, it is not as a damsel in distress. Now, you could say that she didn't contribute much to the plot, and that is fair criticism, but it isn't the same as saying that she is constantly a damsel in distress.
The more interesting of your criticism of Keiko is the second, where she is shown as the "worried girlfriend" most of the time. While this is true, you have to remember the context: she is a 14-year old girl with no powers looking on as Yusuke is constantly thrust into situations with demons and other superpowered beings, not knowing if he will survive, and already having experienced the pain of losing him once. Of course she will worry, but that isn't all there is to her.
Keiko does go through an arc in the story, although it isn't front and center, and isn't directly tied to the progression of the story. In the beginning, she is the one of very few people who sees Yusuke for the good person he is, rather than the asshole delinquent that he projects himself as. When he comes back to life and gets his job as Spirit Detective, he is constantly leaving her behind to do his job without giving her much of an explanation, which frustrates her. She starts to get filled in on what Yusuke is doing, first through a cover story about him being a detective without the supernatural stuff and then in the Dark Tournament where she fully gets brought in on the whole thing with demons and spirits. During the Dark Tournament, she starts to get a better understanding of Yusuke, and that fighting strong opponents truly makes him happy. She spends the rest of the DT watching over his fights and cheering him on with Botan and Shizuru, until the fight with Toguro, where Yusuke gets absolutely thrashed in the beginning. Keiko breaks down from seeing this, as she is terrified that Yusuke is going to die, again. However, Yusuke pulls out the win, cementing her belief that Yusuke will pull through no matter what. In the next arc, Chapter Black, her worst fear does come true, as Yusuke does die again, and although he does come back as a demon, and Keiko recognizes him in demon form, she starts to wonder if she can truly handle a relationship with him. Yusuke then tells Keiko fully about his demon heritage and his plans to go to the demon world to resolve all his issues with it, a far cry from the Yusuke at the beginning of the series who would just leave without informing her of anything, and Keiko asks if he will come back, to which he responds that he doesn't know when or if he will come back. Keiko then breaks up with him, as she recognizes that she isn't able to handle a relationship with him constantly going elsewhere and putting himself in danger, showing maturity on her part. Yusuke then takes his time thinking it over, and goes to her and promises that he will be back in 3 years and proposes to her right there. She is skeptical of the promise, and that a lot can change in 3 years, but ultimately chooses to believe in him as he once promised her that he would come back from the dead and he did.
The next time we see Keiko is after the time skip, and what we do see is that even though she is waiting for Yusuke, she hasn't put her life on hold at all. She is much closer friends with Kuwabara, who she had a good friendship with before, and also is good friends with Kurama and Yukina. She also does have human friends outside of Yusuke and Kuwabara and is even asked to come to Genkai's will reading about how she wishes for her estate to be a sanctuary for demons who come into the human world with the goal of human-demon coexistence. At the beach, when calling out to Yusuke, she exclaims that she won't wait for him longer than 3 years and will put her own needs first. At that point, Yusuke does come back and they have their reunion and the series ends.
So that is my take on Keiko and how she matures throughout the story, as Yu Yu Hakusho is a story about growth and maturity and all the characters go through it. Keiko may not have had as much focus as the four main characters, but I don't believe she was badly written like some other female anime characters were. Ultimately, she was written to be a love interest, and as far as love interests go, I really enjoyed her character and her relationship with Yusuke. Now, if you feel like you want more out of females characters and feel like writers should do more, that is fine, I just feel like for what she was meant to be, Keiko did it rather well.
@@sharksfan232 hello
I totally get your point, and I'm not offended at all. You thought her over much better than I did, and you're right. Thanks for the better insight. And I don't dislike her character.
Maybe I don't know (or rather don't remember) enough really badly written female characters from the anime I know. I feel they are around but I can't put a finger on a specific one right now.
Some are annoying, but that's not the same as poorly written.
Should have picked none after all...
thank you so much for this excellent video!
you were able to summarize this issue so well, where I often couldn't find the right words ❤
Could you do an analysis on the utility/ pros and cons of anime filler episodes? I rewatched all the original Inuyasha episodes (you inspired me with your videos recapping them in 1 min and made me nostalgic 😅) and as I was watching them, I realized all my favorite episodes of that show were actually filler episodes. Yet I feel the the filler episodes in Inuyasha made the characters more related and lovable and honestly were the episodes that made the show my favorite anime of all time.
Naruto female character are just top example of how not to write women even ones with potential like Tamar got it bad allot them end up as homes wives except Tenten her ended was shit but with Sakura Ihope for more and got nothing. i always ship her with saskue but when try to kill her and they just end up being together like what hell that a bad presidency to make no apology scene or show how they work to get together nothing. I mean at least make her have more pride in herself like I wouldn't just automatically make them get together that's kinda mess up
I've been writing my own story with as much depth as possible. Making the main lead, which is a female, likeable and somone you root for.
Glad someone is addressing this 😅 been waiting for years tbh
Ah, 44 minutes. So good to see AxelBeats going into shorts.
Tbh female characters in anime/manga are ok. I'm a bit surprised that nobody didn't mention Lina Inverse from Slayers. She is one of the OG female leads during the 90s anime. So the vid is ehhh ok I guess
The ones I resonate more with are powerful female character writings in video games. Those are a whole other level (example: yuna from ff10, tifa lockhart, etc.)
Orihime imo has her moments of greatness but I think she has a LOT wrong with her too. Yet I think outside of that Bleach has incredible cast of female characters. Rukia was kidnapped for an entire arc but it never made her feel weak for me.
Also I’ve never heard of the term Oranyan before i just call male yanderes, Yanderes
Neither orihime and what exactly is wrong with orihime?
funny thing, with uraraka in mha the biggest role she played from how fare I watched was neither for herself, nor for the main character, now her big moment informed funnely enough the rival and their teacher.
Everyone belittled her and saw the rival taking her serious as an opponent as bullying and sexist while in the end, she would have won if he had not. So her big moment served to show depth in his character for not falling into the same pitfall as most others in underestimating him and gave him the rdeamable trait of clearly showing her respect he denys many others.
she does nothing that importent for the main character despite supposedly being his loveinterest
Yeah I also loved how that gave so much more depth to Bakugo. Like, he keeps saying that he doesn't have or want any friends, that he doesn't respect anyone and that he's only the best and he hates everyone, but his actions show that he actually has a deep respect for his classmates, and he can often see the qualities in them that others don't see. Same when he had to team up fighting class B. It seemed like he didn't want to talk strategy and thought he could fight the other 4 by himself, but he actually relied deeply on the other 3 in his group.
It also low-key becomes one of my favorite running jokes that ppl start just blatantly ignoring his words, like Shoto who keeps introducing him as his friend, ignoring Bakugo screaming that they're not friends, and Deku who stops being afraid of him.
The sad thing about naruto is that the women had so much story potential and complexity like Sakura being the only one in her group to actually have a family (parents)
Mei being the mizukage of the hidden mist despite growing up with the racism/persecution of people with kekkei genkai
But we get nothing and Kishimoto is surprised everyone hates them
“Idk how to write women” like you’re telling me there are no females at Shonen Jump!? You’re married to a woman for gods sake!!! So frustrating.
@@camcam794 Exactly.... Funny thing is that if you gender swapped Naruto or Sasuke nothing about they're stories would change. But for Sakura, Hinata, Tsunade being a woman literally comes first
@@lonemotheo1964 I didn’t think about it that way, but you’re right! If you gender swapped the girls their stories would have to be rewritten. Sakura had a great chance of her character changing, and growing. Then we only get one fight scene from here, and after that she becomes the weak girl needing to be rescued, and protected again. At least in Boruto she’s strong, and able to carry herself, and be a good example for her daughter, but it would have been nice to see that in Naruto
@@camcam794 I haven't seen much of Boruto but wat I have seen she's OK I wouldn't say great..... I like that she's arguably the best parent in Boruto where 1 parent works full time (Naruto) and the other parent stays at home (Hinata) and somehow she does both and never has any problens with it
But still if she was given even half the amount of attention the boys got she would've been the best character in all of shonen
@@camcam794 There's a decent amount of female writers at jump, but all the higher ups in editing and such are men.
we should all agree that Female characters in Inuyasha are not overshadow by the male characters, they have growth and development and they can stand alone KAGOME, KIKYO, SANGO, even KAGURA can stand alone with their own
No doubt about it. I adore all the characters. I also want to shout out to Kaede, probably one of the sweetest mature characters in fiction. Also, give props to Rin, Kana, and Mrs Higurashi.
This video made me wanna watch Inuyasha, I watched 1 ep way back in the day and thought it'd be yet another one of those damsel in distress galore shounens. So I dropped it immediately. But I think I might have been wrong.
@@shibernyan2009 its mostly with kagome, and with time you get used to it.
Rumiko Takahashi (author of Inuyasha) is a pretty good person to study for character creation in general. It's more apparent in her earlier works (e.g. Urusei Yatsura where everyone in the anime is a bad person, including the women), but she gives her characters clear motivations and distorted worldviews and roleplays it out in her head.
Favorite Rumiko Takahashi character: Ataru Moroboshi's mom. She's the Japanese housewife equivalent of Randy Marsh before there was a Randy Marsh. Deeply unhappy and unfulfilled, but also capable of taking an episode in a weird direction.
Second favorite character: Nabiki Tendo... (Yeah. That's what Inuyasha needed... Someone to turn an episode into a total shit show [This is true of half the characters in Urusei Yatsura and a handful of characters in Ranma 1/2, but practically nobody in Inuyasha].)
@@ayar2 The only difference is that Kagome actually plays a major rol through out all the series. And also she is very much capable of turning the tables when necessary.
I just want more female mangakas to get anime. Not BECAUSE they’re women, mind you. But ya know... women usually write better female characters. Not always, of course. But usually.
What about twilight?
@@lampad4549 I said usually. Lol twilight isn’t bad because a woman wrote it. Twilight is bad because the author actually had some pretty decent concepts (the Cullen family backstories) and decided to instead focus on a stalkerish romance.
i’m much more an anime fan than a manga fan so i wonder about how difficult it is to find more.
Arakawa the creator of FMA is a female but she used a male pseudonym because she already knew she might not get attention or recognize if people knew she was a woman.
so how many other mangakas are women hiding their identity?
or more sadly, how many manga are already created by women that get overshadowed by men and also the now insane saturation of the anime/manga market
That's exactly why we don't need more female Mangakas, because women don't belong in Shounen and neither does female characters.
So true!!! There are so many amazing female mangakas who can write both good male and female characters in their stories (e.g. FMA:B, Fruits Basket, Black Butler, D. Gray-Man, Dorohedoro, Demon Slayer, Inuyasha, To Your Eternity, Yona of the Dawn, Magi, Noragami, Blue Exorcist, Deadman Wonderland, and so much more!)
I think the oddest thing about Sakura was that even though she was wedged in as a love interest for both Naruto and Sasuke, the boys had more chemistry with each other than they had with Sakura herself. It was both funny and plain sad to see.
It's kind of funny indeed, like the "accidental kiss" in Sasuke's first appearance.
Another thing, heck Haku himself probably had more chemistry with Naruto than she did.
Sad 😔 thing is that your your right
They knew what they were doing with that. A whole generation of nerdy girls learned about Yoai and bought shit loads of merchandise.
I hate Sakura. I'm reading Naruto, a series many people recommended, and our main female character is a stereotypical girly girl who is not only rude to the main character (who we're supposed to like), not only is she a total simp for Sasuke and literally can't stop thinking about him, but she's also literally useless for a majority of the early volumes. When Naruto and Sasuke are fighting for their lives, Sakura is standing on the side doing nothing. We're supposed to believe she's equals with Naruto and Sasuke and is super strong but when her only goal in life is to be with Sasuke she's just annoying.
@@vronji I know what you mean she is the worst
The irony is that Black Lagoon message is that these "badass women" are only that way because of trauma and damage and would rather have lived a life of more traditional feminine woman.
This kinda reminds me how DnD portrayed Sansa Stark in GOT.
Isnt that also same for males? Lets be real most of the main characters have one or two tragic events in their lives. Look at Batman.
if not for Revy, Rock would ended up being a miserable and complacent salaryman, kind of the male counterpart of a housewife.
@@ayar2 WTF? Are you dissing housewives?
@@flavorgod not all of them, although in fiction they tend to not be that interesting.
Honestly, a good rule while writing female characters is “If you can replace her with a cardboard cutout of her that can say a few scene-convenient phrases, and doing so doesn’t affect the plot, rethink her”
And this doesn't apply to male characters?
A lot of people's complaints with female characters has more to do with how the character is written than how the female aspect is handled. Having a male character with identical attributes still has the same problems, but people pay attention to those problems more if the character is female.
That’s a half-decent point, but I say it in regards to female characters because there’s a SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER amount of them who don’t do anything besides stand there and look nice. I can’t even think of a male character who fits that, but even if I could it would be the exception and not the rule. This is a prolonged issue with *female* characters, and that’s why I’m talking about it.
Your ‘But what about the *men?’* mentality is like seeing a disability activism and beginning to call out for abled activism, without stopping to realise that there’s isn’t activism for abled people *because abled people don’t need it.*
I’m not talking about male characters needing to play significant roles, because they already do. There isn’t a problem with male characters not having real characters (and if there are characters like that, it’s not *because* they’re male.).
Stop taking forever, my guy.
@@flameking2178 who said it doesn't????? it should apply to male characters too. Your point = nothing.
@@flameking2178 such a silly question. Ofc it applies to male characters too obviously, duhh. Just think about it, you can find AT THE VERY LEAST one or three well rounded, well written, well developed MALE characters with ACTUAL significance or relevance in the story with ACTUAL personality, individuality, goals and shit in an anime. Which makes us relate and empathize with them, makes us RESPECT them, take lessons from them. Now compare that with the number of female characters who has the qualities I mentioned above in an anime. The outcome is so glaringly obvious I don't even wanna write it out.
Finding an actual 'cool' female anime characters (as a female viewer) is like trying to discover air in a vaccum. Even if there's a tiny semblance of a femcharacter being badass she is ALWAYS objectifyingly sexualised in some way as a fanservice for straight male viewers. I have yet to see a genuine female character with characteristics that are admirable and respectable and plays a relevant and significant role in an anime ofc I would want an attractive and clever fem character without being grossly sexualized for male gaze for ONCE
@@user-ri7wz7rveus4r Shinoa from Owari no seraph was a great character tbh but that's all I can think of rn
I think Yona from Akatsuki no Yona is a great example of a character who is feminine, badass and has great development.
Yeah, I remember reading a post on Tumblr saying Akatsuki no Yona was essentially a shounen manga with better characterization, well thought out political dynamics, a good handle on the romance, and a female protagonist.
@@alyssaagnew4147 That's about right. I was hesitant at first because I thought it was a reverse harem, but it's really not. And the political intrigue as well as the mystery of some of the characters and their motivations is simply amazing! If you haven't read it you should. There's a channel "Romania Black" that reads and discusses all the English translated chapters with the content clearly visible like you were reacting to a video so it's super easy to follow along.
i love love love that series! hope they bring back another season of the anime
Ikr! It is so underrated!
@@shreyamishra6310 Exactly! It's frustrating, because if it was popular, it'd get a second season. AND I WANT THAT SECOND SEASON! LOL
Love this video. I myself am actually a huge fan of Sakura but I do see where ALOT of the problems with her character come from. The only thing I disagree with is Hinata being a good character. She’s one of my favorites as well but I hate that her character revolves only around Naruto. She’s never given her own reasons for wanting to move on and progress that don’t have to do with gaining Naruto’s acknowledgement. What’s worse is that when she finally does get Naruto, she completely gives up being a ninja only adding on to my previous point.
no she didn't hinata was still active until she got pregnant at 20
Hinata is still a ninja though she only does low rank mission cause she is a mom.
@@AngryRJL she isn't. she retired when boruto was born and has been inactive for 11 years in Boruto Next Gen.
Nah fr when he said Hinata is a well written Character I burst out laughing
I think Hinata could've been written better while still keeping her overall ending if we got a bit more into her decision to become a stay at home mom. How did she feel about being a ninja in general? Did she ever enjoy the work or did she keep with it because of her prominent ninja family? And maybe include how since Naruto will be hokage, she wanted their kids to have a safe, stable and loving home life that neither she nor Naruto had growing up. That would make sense to her character, but when the writer gives every female character the housewife ending, it just instead feels like he has a hard time imagining women growing up to do anything else once they get married. Like being a housewife and mom is the "natural progression" of girls and not a decision they make.
Izumi herself says she is just a housewife, showing that is what she values, also showing that she is going to go to any lengths to protect that which she loves, and she has the ability to do it.
I think a large part of that is just her wanting to be on the down low about how powerful she is
Being a housewife and raising the next generation is very important. And just because a woman becomes a mom and housewife, doesn't mean she can't be a useful character in other ways like emotional/mental support.
@@michaeldavis9190 dude, that's bs. She's not hiding her power, she's saying she is both. Hell, there's a point to be made on it being similar to a scary big guy being a gentle giant. It's breaking expectations.
@@michaeldavis9190
No. She’s open about her power. She’s saying she’s both powerful and a housewife. If she had her way, she would’ve been a mother too.
Black Clover is very dear to my heart, but I barely see people mention it, so I was ecstatic to see it in the title and even more ecstatic to see Noelle’s development get appreciated!
Not to mention that ALL of the women are amazing! (My personal theory is because of how much the mangaka talks about the love he has for his wife and daughter, and therefore he actually sees them as people, unlike some other authors). My main problem is when (like Naruto) the female characters only become great when they reach a material role.
@@zoebailey6979 Tabata-sensei lost his dad in really young age, that he don't even remember him. He was raised by his mom and if we take a look on black clover backstories, we will see how often he tries to show us this "mother's love". That's also might be a reason why every female character in BC is so well-written and independent. Also, as you said, Tabata-sensei is really loveable person, he always talks about his wife and daughter and his love for them
Good story really depends on it's author, BC confirms that
@Zoë Bailey Tabata had his daughter just after the 200th chapter of the story in 2019. It's kinda cool hearing him talk about her every chance he gets because it's like we kinda see or hear her grow up as we read the series
@@Lipy_kos Black clover isn't my favorite anime (I find it cheesy and a bit flat) but I do appreciate the quality of BC's female characters. It's really sweet to see.
THIS!!! I love Mereoleona sm, just wished she was more muscular because of her lifestyle y'know
One of my favorite characters was Minako from Sailor Moon. She has tragic backstory, and lots of personal character growth over time. She's powerful, yet feminine. Her flaws are quirky, and while sometimes she just comes off as comic relief... we're reminded often about her seriousness about the things that are important to her.
“powerful, *yet* feminine” seems like a tricky line… it’s almost as if the implication is that The Feminine is inherently disempowered. Or that power is a more of a masculine thing, and that Minako’s femininity tempers her status as powerful. Why can’t it just be feminine AND powerful? 🤔
Not ignoring how we’re socialized to think about The Feminine & masculine. But I think the language used is interesting in a way that makes me want to challenge it.
@@crownjewel9602 yes exactly! why does power need to be exclusively tied to masculinity? there is so much power in both gender expressions but they just show themselves in different ways!
@@crownjewel9602bc a lot of times when mangakas write powerful female characters she is no longer as feminine as the other female characters
One thing that I've always thought about as a big fan of Inuyasha, is that Kagome in the manga and the early episodes of the anime was shown to be resourceful and is able to surprise both allies and enemies with her tenacity and out of the box thinking. Her spiritual powers were also shown to be more than just shooting sacred arrows, she can see and communicate with spirits. She almost went to hell for god's sake! While Inuyasha is clearly the muscle, she was the heart of the series, not the crying damsel in distress the anime made her to be.
All I want is a female MC in shonen that is fairly well written with NO FANSERVICE, I want her to be respected
Oh so you want Maka Albarn from Soul Eater! Which is ironic considering this is the same mangaka that made Tamaki in Fire Force xD
Jujutsu kaisen do that
@@alfredowkwk kind of, even though I love nobura, itadori is the main character so she dosent count
@@alfredowkwk I want the main character to be written well and no fan service
Does Jolyne applies to that category? She is one if not the Jojo with the strongest will, she doesn't even flinch when in a dangerous situation and will try to win a fight by any means necessary even if she hurts herself in the process. Not only that but she cares for her friends and family a lot, and would destroy an entire planet if she need to protect them
Fantastic video. I would’ve liked to have seen Ryuko in the part about female characters since Kill la Kill is one giant metaphor for girls and being confident in their own bodies, but I love the characters you did bring up. Especially how you mentioned how Noelle is really just a character who is also female. Cannot express how excited I am for more of this series.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Ryuko was definitely someone I wanted to cover more but I was already running so long lol
Ive seen all the episodes of black clover. Im still wondering why people like noelle
@@spencervance8484 She has good development. Sure she has some trope-y traits, but that’s a trait of BC as a whole. Overall, she goes from a stuck up, cold-hearted, powerful wizard with no control over her immense power to an emotionally mature, caring, wizard who is in the second tier of strength (at worst) due to her newfound control after months and months of hard work and even has a big emotional beat about reconciling with her mother’s death.
@@Watermelon_Man im 130 eps in and she still feels like a generic , one liner ( im royalty) female character. Does she change further down the line?
@@AxelBeats Ryuko felt like a sexualized Utena (RGU) that adhered to the male gaze. When KLK came out both series were constantly compared especially the two characters. Yet Utena had more depth, vulnerability, and growth in her character, plus points that she questioned the role of a "prince", and to add that she was more vocal of her sexuality in the movie version which was way ahead of its time. Ryuko had that potential as well, unfortunately the fanservice got in the way.
I wonder if examples like Sango and Lust being well written female characters also has to do with the fact that they’re written by women.
I think you hit the nail on the head about why most women don’t typically watch shonen anime. It’s hard to watch a show where you can’t relate to as person. But even though shonen isn’t my favorite kind of anime, shows like AOT and Inuyasha end up being my favorites because they showcase well written females imo. So it’s not the action I don’t like, I just want someone to relate to.
Awesome video !! 😊
Inuyasha is such an underrated series, I enjoy the anime because I highly like how all the characters are written and developed throughout the series.
Shounen anime is most popular with women cause shounen anime is the most popular genre
@@Serocco Well, imo its because its like, the biggest genre of all time. I'd rather watch romance or thrillers pr psychological ones, but there just arent enough of them out there. Romance, is mostly about high school aged girls, and as a 30 yrs old women i often cringe at it, i basically saw most titles which arent shonen, or at least tried to dive into them.
My main point i guess, is that shounen wouldnt be my first choice, but since its so popular, there is more of the genre out than others, and if i watch something i end up watching shounen 50% cause i cant find something else. Its good for a while, but i drop them the second something else comes out, which is more my thing, cause i started them just to kill the time in the first place.
Uhhhh… relating to characters is not a fundamental need to enjoy a show. I can’t relate to a large portion of the characters in anime as a black American, but I don’t need to establish a crutch connection through direct relation if the characters and plot are simply well-written regardless of the gender of the characters.
@@Watermelon_Man To speak for myself, I don't need to relate to characters' personalities but I tend to prefer female characters because I feel a bigger connection with them. And I think that's valid, it's not random that in shows with equally well-written male and female characters men tend to choose male characters as their favorites and women female ones (ok I haven't researched this but I always notice it) (except from those who clearly choose faves based on who they simp for lmao).
It's definitely not a fundamental need and I wouldn't expect a show about for example a male football team to have many developed female characters nor would that prevent my enjoyment. However, it's getting really boring watching only men do all the cool shit, while the women get one decent scene per 5 seasons, in almost every show. And after a while that shit gets to you, like ok of course people have critical thinking and don't base their self worth on a show, but representation definitely does matter and it's so lame seeing generally competent writers treat your entire gender as less capable.
So nowadays I'm much more likely to watch something with more variety than your typical male dominated shounen. And actually, I think women are way more likely to try to relate to male characters in shows because we're so used to it, it's just that after so many years we're fed up lmao. Most guys see well-written men everywhere in media, but show them one series with mostly women, even if it's action oriented, and they'll consciously or subconsciously dismiss it as "stuff for girls only".
I love Yona from Yona of the Dawn who gets major character development and becomes a badass, though she does not start as one at all.
Yesss! Even when she's kidnapped she doesn't just sit back she'd find a way out, gather information, basically doesn't just sit down waiting to be saved
There's alot more I could talk about but man she's a great female lead
@@Moon1tan Yeah most definitely! Of course she is written for the shoujo demographic. I wonder there are any girls similar in shonen that don't get nerfed for the boy demographic
She’s my favourite. I’ve been following her since I was in school, and now I have a job lmao. Can’t believe it’s been 5-7 years since I started reading and following Akatsuki No Yona.
yessss i love yona! the anime and manga are super underrated.
I love Yona of the Dawn. It's unfortunate the anima got canceled but the manga is really good and yes I do love her development. She started off as a sheltered princess who couldn't do anything for herself. Hak always protected her, and now she is a strong female leader and knows how to play the political game. She can stand tall with all the men in the series.
I think that Riza Hawkeye (FMAB), Hanji Zoe (AOT) and Erza Scarlet (FT) are my favourite female anime characters.
hange isnt specified to be a girl in the manga tho
@@mysticmon notice how the word “anime” was used and not “manga”.
@@Watermelon_Man still thought it was worth mentioning!
@@mysticmon Hange is female. She looks and acts female and there's never been an indication that she isn't.
@@beastvicious8672 The author confirmed that it is the audience’s own decision to choose Hange’s gender.
I loved the character writing for the entire cast of Fullmetal Alchemist, really unique personalities
Also, I agree that most of Kishimoto’s female characters aren’t well-written. Tsunade is one of the few exceptions.
Anko also is a good character, but is just not used as much as she should and killed offscreen, and asumas girlfriend, renegarded as housewife fast fefore doing much. Tsunades assistent, never became more than tsunades assistent. And he is a good female character but not developed.
Temari is actually great but thats rare in naruto. Older sakura is good but she is vastly underdeveloped before ending as adult. Even ino is better developed , probably due th author knowing how popular shikamaru is and she being a teammate, but they are equals more or less there.
Anko is, wasted and killed ofstream, asunas wife ,its telling her and hinata only got developement off filler except very few scenes. Her sister forgotten. Tsunades assistent, is grat but never became more than her assistent. Asunas wife is apearently geat but gets benched fast.
Sakura is wasted too,she has the makings of a good character, as future sakura is great, but thats alloffscreen, the growth, and lasts short i shipuden. Temari, underdeveloped. She sines in a comedy spin off only.
Ino is great but he is lukyto be in shikamarus team who is great and also has a close relationship with other great female character the wind sand ninja girl.
And tsunade, Who else?
@@marocat4749 ???? Anko is a lot of wasted potential, but she is not killed off screen. She is a teacher at the academy in Boruto.
@@macaronfox I thogh she was dead because she was there after used as experiment and never really noticed her, if she is alive, good.
Chiyo is better
One thing I feel like pointing out is that writing female characters poorly is not the fault only done my male creators. Women are guilty just as well. Take Vampire Knight. The story tries setting her up as someone who can fight and stand up for her beliefs, only to then be sidelined and do little to forward the plot. She does not even get to choose who to be with. It's all done by her love interests.
I get that men and women have their differences and I'm fine with works of fiction playing around dynamics. Hell, I'm fine with female characters not being fighters. But at least give them something interesting do that can affect the story. You can have them convince characters to change course of action (preferably without the whole "breaking down to make them feel pity"), use their intelligence to get around dangerous obstacles, etc. Using femininity, vulnerability, etc. in creative ways can make stories more exciting in ways that brute force cannot.
To be fair,I have heard that the story was supposed to be about Kaname and Zero, but someone said that wont sell so they made it into a love triangle.
Agreed, people love making everything about genders and it's really frustrating. It depends on the author themselves and not the gender whether they write good female characters or not.
Kishimoto for instance may be a bad female character writer and he even admitted it but my fave female anime characters with lots of depth are literally written by male mangakas
@@yumeko88 It's also why male author can still write lame male characters whilst having the female characters have at least a bit more personality (just look at the myriad of harem works).
@@yumeko88 Same. And on the flipside, one of my favorite male characters in general is Ranma, which is written by a woman (Same author as Inuyasha btw).
Can you imagine if every person was only able to write characters of their own gender lol. Stories would become so much more restrictive.
@@helena_8478That kind of gossip is ALWAYS FALSE like people saying Ranma was supposed to be Yuri , etc. mangakas have a clear decision when making Yaoi/yuri or straight couples, no editor "forces them" to make a gay couple straight or viceversa, they can queerbait a lot tho.
Having recently rewatched the start of Bleach, I actually think Orihime doesnt start off that bad at all.
She's a fun, weird and generally optimistic character who happens to have a thing for Ichigo.
And being autistic myself, a lot of her quirks came off as kinda recognizable to me, and I do enjoy some generally positive representation.
Which makes it all the more unfortunate that, yes, later on she does basically get flanderized into just "girl who likes the protagonist", where all her previous characterization just gets washed away or flattened off.
It's a real shame.
but that's not inherent to her, sado also gets put on the back burner but i don't see people bitch about that. They are regular humans so having them keep up with the power scaling would be ridiculous but they are still fan favs so the writer has to keep them involved somehow.
Would quickly like to add that the first episode of the new season actually does a lot to remedy these things, for not only Orihime but Ichigo's other friends as well.
I love that they started off the season with some of the best friendly banter weve seen these characters share in probably the entire series.
I'm more salty and disappointed that Tatsuki got sidelined and got relegated to hanging out with the joke side characters in Bleach. She could've been such a badass character since she's headstrong and has the most history with Ichigo since they were childhood friends. I mean her name means "dragon" but Tite Kubo doesn't do anything with her character except as a throwaway joke.
My recent fav female char is nobara and maki from jujutsu kaisen (the badass kind)
also makima (the manipulative kind)
Very few can do female characters right. Heck, even Akamatsu sensei gets them right, and he writes pervy manga. Then there's the guy who did Buso Renkin, a short manga/anime series that was obscure yet gave us a great female lead. Of course the best of them, in my *opinion* is Rumiko sensei with a lot of her works, especially InuYasha.
What's Akamatsu's manga?
@@enterurnamehere27 Seriously? Never heard of, read, or seen Love Hina or Negima, which had two different versions?
@@whitewolf3051 owhh thanks!
Nobuhiro Watsuki is the mangaka for Buso Renkin and he also created Rorounii Kenshin.
@@jackraiden6180 Really? That makes me interested in reading Rorunoi Kenshin. Busou Renkin was one of the first manga I ever read
Honestly, while Fairy Tail does go overboard with the fan service some of the time, it... actually treats it's female cast better than a lot of Shonen anime? Like, pretty much every main female is powerful in their own right, and they are often integral to the story being told. Erza and Mirajane are two of the strongest wizards in the guild, others like Juvia, Cana, and Levy often bail their teammates out of tough situations, and if Lucy doesn't end the arc, she is VASTLY important to that arc's finale.
Lucy may be a bit of a damsel in Phantom Lord, but she not only helps Natsu beat Gajeel, she also ensures nothing like that happens again. She helps defeat Hades in Tenrou Island. She frees everyone from Alegria in Tartaros, even having to majorly sacrifice one of her oldest friends to do it. It is HER idea that helps defeat Acnologia. I could go on.
True. Fairy Tail's writing sucks but treating both genders fairly is one of the things they do decently. Although they still fall into the trope of girls-can-only-fight-girls (and 50% of the time at least one has to strip).
...Are they really the best example we can think of?
Ezra fights a lot of men throughout the series. Sure, Lucy fights more women throughout the series, but she has still battled against male character (off the top of my head, Bickslow in the Battle of Fairy Tail arc). Wendy also fights male characters and she starts off as a non-combatant. So Fairy Tail doesn’t really fall into that trope.
I personally never picked up Fire Force simply because I saw some clips and knew what kind of anime it would be. Lol maybe I’m wrong, but hey. As a woman, I have only so much tolerance for fanservice. I like fanservice. But it has a time and place. (And I like anime that give fanservice for people attracted to men as well)
That is so contradictory.
@@truthspreader1996 not contradictory at all. Fan service can come in many ways for both ganders.
@@mayaha200 Yes contradictory. She says she doesn't tolerate fanservice and then in the very next breath says she enjoys it but only at a certain time and place.
She doesn't specify a type of fanservice like
*Bringing a character back
*Adding a weapon from a different series
*Giving a character a win
*A character dressed in another character's outfit
She just says she enjoys fanservice at her own time and pace and since the video is about the type of fanservice that is sexual in nature ( such as nudity) we have to assume that is what she is talking about.
If you read soul eater and liked it I suggest you read fire force. Everyone decided the fan service in fire force was disgusting and unacceptable, but to me I always thought it was criticism to mindless fanservice. Only one character is ever in fanservice position, and the other people reaction is very different then in normal Ecchi mangas.
Also , not only gets thst one character way better developed.
But i like it has multiple fanservice, like muscely arms maki, the captain,
I suspect the anime might make it worse, but even there the fanservice is for like all male and female. And that is more a quirk and not tasreless personally, sometimes
And tamaki gets better, and when reading, just skip it. You can read over it.
Also the last part is amazing and itcgets really great.
And make tamaki actually a strong female character and uses her to make a speech against shaming of sexworker, ok its vague and maybe a commentary on his criticism too, but in effect its a criticism of shaming of attractive people and them using that in like sexwork or whatever. And s...tshaming. It works as that which, is good?!
One of my favorite female characters is Nanami Momozono from Kamisama Kiss. While she is an extremely vulnerable character who occasionally needs protection/help in a supernatural world, I felt inspired by her determined efforts to push forward. She is capable of showing traits of femininity like fondness of cute things and compassion towards others but is not above getting serious, aggressive, and assertive when the situation calls for it. When she is in a dangerous situation, she uses her wits to get around. Even when she shows fear and wishes for help, she doesn't just sit and cry out. She instead pushes forth. And while she does not have an extensive backstory, she is someone who lost a mother at an early age and had to look after herself in a world that either beats her down or looks down on her. And despite that, she smiles onward and tries to help others.
Nanami may not be the most complex female character in anime/Manga, but even as a grown man myself, I felt inspired by her character and wanted to grow better as a person, especially in these recent difficult times.
The anime truly did a disservice to the original manga. Nanami’s backstory and family history is more thoroughly explored. Also, the anime entirely left out important characters and arcs. It’s a series worthy of rightfully being remade. Anyone who is reading this please give Kamisama Hajimemashita aka Kamisama Kiss manga series a try. The anime isn’t bad, but unfortunately for whatever reason it was left unfinished with important characters and relevant storylines completely erased.
The one good thing the anime does is leave you wanting more, which is what led me to becoming obsessed with chasing down every tankoubon. Thankfully these days you can find the manga online if you know where to look. 😅
@@misstekhead Ah, so you have the read the manga as well! I agree with you, buddy! You know, I really wish someone would do a serious review of the manga as pretty much no one has done it. To me, it is the story of a girl who is constantly beaten down and looked down upon by the world yet keeps on going to do the right thing. It is also a coming of age story as she gradually grows as a person (like overcoming heartbreak) and inspires others to change for the better.
As for the anime, I know it's technically a small matter, but I really don't like how in the very first scene, they brush through Nanami's backstory and assure that it's not depressing but a light-hearted rom-com. In the manga, it does showcase her troubled life. Along with her helping Mikage from the dog, it showcases a girl who is beaten down by life until she has fallen to the very bottom. It also showcases her anger, helplessness, and sadness, but is still compassionate and helpful towards others. The anime breezing past it kind of muddles her character introduction. There's other things the anime left out, shortened, or changed that I find odd but I feel the first scene was my biggest pet peeve.
At the very least, unlike many shojo adaptations, there were two seasons as well as several OVAs that did showcase the ending. Still, the manga is the definitive way to enjoy the story. Again, it would be great if someone would seriously discuss about the story. Most just gush about how cute, funny, or romantic it is without doing a thorough analysis.
I understand your point about the Anime being how most people interact with the story when talking about Bleach, but oh my GOD it's very different in the manga. She's a much more fleshed out character. I don't think most people realize JUST HOW MUCH DIFFERENT early orihime characterization was in the anime vs the manga and it flavored a lot of her interactions and moments later. Not to mention Orihime's incredible characterization in Hueco Mundo and beyond.
Plus Orihime willingly chose to go to Hueco Mundo, she didn't get kidnapped. She is a very strong character in her own way.
@@strongstateofmind5420 I hate all ship fandoms in Shonen stories.
I started watching Food Wars this week, and I can’t get over how sexualized the female characters are. I know the men are sexualized too as part of a larger gag, but it’s so in-your-face. It’s really hard to get past.
It's so hilarious though and is a great way of showcasing food at it's finest with foodgasms but it tones down later on unless you're at a big tourney or battle lol
The manga is a lot more bearable. Cause you can skip the more overly fanservice scenes. Or I do, anyway. The anime made me too uncomfortable but I might try it again. Lol
Well, that's why it has legitimately got a "echhi" tag in it
It’s the whole point of the show. Foodgarsm
I've always felt discomfort whenever I see an anime girl shot in a male gaze tbh
for anyone searching for good female characters in anime/manga, PLEASE don't discount the wide array of available shoujo and josei manga out there! a lot are written by women from a woman's perspective and are really relatable.
Absolutely correct! I unfortunately don't have much experience in that genre (which is why I focused on shonen here) but from what I've seen they tend to portray women much better.
They also generally don't turn their guys to walking abs and buts with no agency. The men in Shoujo are their own people with their own arcs away from the girls. If women can usually write men well, then men should be able to do the same for women.
@@bobi200samatar6 Exceptions do exist, as per seen in Diabolik Lovers lol (I feel the urge to flame that anime in every given opportunity sorry)
But they are just that, exceptions
That is reason why I love Soul Eater Maka.Strong woman which could take hits and be brave and strong.Same with Jolyne Kujo or Jinx.
I'm not certain that this series is 100 anime but Avatar the Last Airbender has great female characters like Toph Beifong, Azula and Katara to name a few and so does an anime/manga called Akame ga Kill
It's not an anime. It's american cartoon.
@@akale2620 Tbf the word anime in Japan refers to all animation. And the way we classify it is a genre of Japanese animation which is what Avatar is. It’s an animated show with Japanese animation so by definition it should be considered an anime but oh well.
The sentiment is still the same, Avatar shows that just having amazing characters means you don’t need fan service. And is what a lot of manga should strive for when writing their female character
Great video. Sango and Kikyo are great examples.
When I was a kid I cried when I saw Robin was screaming out for her friends to take her with them and that she wanted to live, I didn't know why this hit so hard for my younger self until I got older.
Yeah, I now know how she feels during that scene and back, but at least she have people their for her before it was nearly to late. I got lucky to with family members who helps those around me understand the struggles I was going through mentally.
I know not a lot of people were lucky, but if they would have saw this scene, they would have had second thoughts.
I know this might sound like a joke to many, but an example of great female characters, at least for me, are Panty and Stocking.They are feminine, badass but at the same time, they actually feel like real people.They bicker, they swear like sailors(which is ironic considering they are angels, and I love that) and it actually feels like they have their real lives.
Off topic, but that show has the sussest title I've ever seen 😅😅
So much of Orihime's character is lost from manga to anime. It's unfortunate because she's great in the manga and the anime just... doesn't translate that.
Also similarly in One Piece, Orihime also goes with the villains willingly to protect her friends. She doesn't just get captured helplessly
She’s equally as trash in the manga. Her training is never really seen and she doesn’t really get stronger. She spent days training with Chad for the the thousand blood arc which at the moment is manga only and being released as anime, what does she do there? She was sent to the palace with ichigo by urahara to bring a full circle how they broke into seretei the first time and to let him fight with his friends. But she literally does NOTHING. We’ve seen two times her powers are quite amazing, unohana says she reverses time not healing people. Hachi says she should be capable of making (what are they called, boundaries?!) what he was able to do. Her powers literally never develop. She gets in the way of every fight.
Her leaving willingly doesn’t make her any less weak. That whole arc was stupid for her development, she went because she knew ichigo would come after her. Her powers were never used even by Aizen and he TOOK her. There was a little greatness when she was teaching the respata? To have feelings. Even then, she doesn’t fully do that. And begs ishida to take her to ichigo fight with ulquiorra where she just cries and watches in awe.
Rukia has much better development and learns her Bankai within a war. Orihime walks around screaming ichigo shame and eats bread. Ichigo whole romance with her, was to protect her. They didn’t even have chemistry. She’s a bad character. She doesn’t even figure things out fast like Ishida. And has little to no purpose in Bleach, even as a love interest.
@@AndSoWeLaughed You didn't pay attention to the fact that she isn't a fighter specifically cuz her powers are tied to her emotions. Hachi in the Visoreds tells her she doesn't need to be a fighter to participate in battle. After Aizen's defeat, she ties her attack to her shield to reflect attack to get over her one weakness. And at the end, she even helps in the beginning of the battle wit Ywhach, able to block his attacks and all. Just because she isn't a killer and you don't like her because of that, doesn't mean she's a bad character
@@AndSoWeLaughed Facts, but people hate to hear this now lmao. Back when Bleach's manga was still ongoing, this was how the overall fandom felt about orihime, they even believed her role in the final fight in the thousand year blood arc was very much criticized because a lot of people felt it was forced. Now since Bleach has come back, people have just been defending her like crazy and getting mad when people state their dislike of her. Its nauseating.
I agree, even in her introduction she is "scared" of Ichigo, while in the manga she is very bubbly and nice to him, openly admiting that she likes him, she simply has far more guts and funny moments in the manga that the anime erased.
@AndSoWeLaughed I don't understand why her being strong enough to allow Aizen to take her is seen any differently than Robin being taken in one-piece.
I adore Sango as well! Mizuno Ami (Sailor Mercury) is my all-time favorite - I had a great deal in common with her growing up, so it was encouraging to see someone like myself on screen who struggled with self-esteem issues that they gradually overcame.
I haven't yet seen anyone mention Meryl Stryfe from Trigun. I enjoy her as a foil for Vash - a high-strung, capable career woman who could also hold her own in dangerous situations. Most of her character development is due to her interactions with Vash, but it's integral to watch her reactions and growth as the plot progresses and we learn more about Vash's past.
I AGREE with you. It's not that women don't like shonen( 8 out of 10 anime on my favourites list are shonen), it's just the representation of women in shonen is often lacking in substance and/or relatable characters that aren't just trophies for the protag.
I came to say I don’t like and disagree with this video bcz there’s plenty of great women in shounen and anime in general and this guy is making a lot of animanga look bad
Character is also story. More than that, character is the heart of story. What good is a killer plot without said character who bring it to life? Stakes only matter insofar as there are people to gain or suffer by them.
Readers relate to stories through the characters. Cool magic systems and world-ending conflict may be interesting on a surface level. But they’re only worth reading about because of the worth of the characters who use the magic and live through the conflict.
Turns out that character (specifically character arc) is also structure. Characters and their conflicting inner and outer goals create the thematic questions that frame our stories. We can come up with a perfectly structured plot, but if we haven’t also created a structured character arc, our stories are likely to turn out drier than a matzo cracker.
My favorite female character
Are those who are not subjective to fanservice or writing that makes them stupidly overpower for no good reason.
Fairy Tail gets flack for its fan service, but it's one of the best Shonen in terms if strong female characters. Not just in power levels, but importance and agency in the story as well.
Truuuu
Yeah!
Exactly prime example ( and this is me being Bias ) look at Lucy sure she's not as strong as Erza or Juvia but she I disagree
Fairy tail unfortunately has the fire force issue where the fanservice is so prevalent it takes any and all stakes out of many of the events and really reduces the female characters down to pinups so you cant really focus on the good points.
Mashima did a good job with Elie in rave master where there was some fansevice but it was only lightly sprinkled in and didn't become the series itself so we were able to better get invested in Elie's emotional stakes going through the story as she developed
Not the best like Bleach but leagues better than Naruto
Myne is a terrible person, but she's a well written character. She's simply designed to be hated by the audience and she does her job perfectly, thus making her a good character.
Based on what I've seen, if you hate that character, then she did her job. It's just that lying about sexual assault is an absolute powder keg of a topic.
It is just so unbelievably touchy no matter where you stand in the subject. I think it is important to consider that when writing a character, but it was very well done.
Amazing video king!! Absolutely loved your take on this. You’re awesome!! ❤️
Thanks my dude
@@AxelBeats yeah. This is our first experience with you on such an amazing topic. We're grateful for that 🤘
I'm always comparing Inuyasha's relationship with both kikyo and kagome. I feel like kagome was a better partner for him because she expects Inuyasha for who he is and doesn't want him to change that about himself. Kikyo tried to use the shikon jewel to make him human, this to me shows that she only excepted one part of him instead of all of him. So I'm happy he ended up with kagome in the end, because he never has to guess if he's good enough for her. She will always love no matter what happens
kind of agree, but lets not forget that Inu`s hybrid nature was the source of his problems, by being either full demon or full human he would be accepted by one or the other, kikyo´s solution, even if a bit selfish, wasn´t far fetched,. but as you said it, Kagome´s unconditional love for him made him accept himself and live for those he cares about, and ironically became accepted by demons and humans alike.
Another thing about Inuyasha and Kikyo's relationship was that Naraku's trick to pit them against each other was so simple yet worked so easily, suggesting their bond wasn't actually that strong. They didn't question it for a moment, just instantly believed that the other turned on them. Where it's not unheard of for demons to shapeshift.
I didn't read all the manga or watch all the anime because of how long they are, but is there any moment where Inuyasha and Kagome are similarly tested on how well they know and trust each other, and pass the test?
@@Toshimi1043 to be fair their relationship was relatively new by the time Naraku intervened, it could have worked given enough time.(emphasis in "could").
The whole point of Kikyou and Inuyasha's relationship was that she the accepted him for who he was. The whole "hey, what if we use the jewel to make Inuyasha fully human" was about them trying to find a way to be together in peace, not about his youkai half being rejected. Idk, this sounds like a weird interpretation for the sake of "who-loves-who-more" shipping discourse and that doesn't belong in a discussion of writing of female characters.
@@msuzuki5971 I'm happy you got that from this, but I didn't get that from it
I do like the female characters in Fairy Tail a ton. While Lucy does sometimes get in compromising situations she also helped save the entire world and has plenty of fantastic moments.
Great video Axel. I loved all the different female characters you used as examples for your explanations.
BTW, I love that you keep bringing up Kikyo and explaining her. Like a lot of people I did really hate her at first, but as the story progressed and we saw more of her (and after the episode where Kagome saved Kikyo from that priestess-power-consuming-cave-demon), I truly began to understand her better and I really started to feel bad for Kikyo. I finally started to understand her tragedy and why she was the way she was.
Keep up the great work! 👍
Love how you mention Black Clover, Mereleona is another example of an amazing female character, utter badass
The part about every trait being important reminds me of an interview with SAO author. "Why did you make the cousin in love with Kirito?" "Because incest sells." Shows you the differences in writing for good writing and writing to cater to some audience.
Riza Hawkeye has always really spoken to me. She's this bada$$ who possesses both this dogged loyalty to her ideals and a touching faithfulness to her man, which he reciprocates in full. They're perfect for each other, even when they're squabbling, and this is simply understood by both them and everyone around them even if it's not explicitly put into words. And no one ever gives them any guff for it unless they're you know, the villains. For this reason, exploring Riza and Roy's relationship through fanfiction is very rewarding, especially for the times you wish it was more demonstrative.
Kikyo OTOH, resurrected, just didn't make logistical sense to me. The whole reincarnation shuffle in general made my eyes glaze over. What I mean is, Kagome is supposed to be currently using the one soul between them, but then her past self is still out there simultaneously? If they wanted to make a point about how our own worst enemy is often...ourselves, point made I guess, but it was a hella meta way to get there. Too meta IMO.
Noelle definitely my favorite female character
Violet from Violet Evergarden is one of my favorite women in anime! I think her arc of not even having the words to process what she went through, learning them, realizing the terrible stuff that was done to her and She did to others as well and learning now to navigate the guilt and heal, is an amazing arc.
I also really like Misato and Dr. Akagi from Evangelion. Their relationship is really interesting. They're 2 friends that are incredibly close to one another and trust each other, and at the same time that also makes them hurt each other a lot.
It's funny. Oda is great at writing female characters in One Piece, but is flawed in that he always uses pretty much the exact same body type all the time except for kids, Dadan, Kokoro (I think that's the name of the mermaid in Water 7) and Big Mom. The opposite however is the case of Naruto. They all look unique, but their personalities fall flat since they are introduced and either left behind or just stays the same with few exceptions.
True
Of course Inuyasha, FullMetal Alchemist and Sailor moon has the best female characters or better representation. They're written by women. Women who created amazing male characters too, without making the female characters jokes or just sex objects. In these animes, female characters are actual characters. With interesting plot and personality, not just to satisfy the male gaze.
I recall Sango was kidnapped once when she let her emotions get the better of her (because of Miroku because of course). What was interesting was that Sango had a reason that she couldn't fully properly fight against her kidnappers as they were mind-controlled human women. And when she was also controlled and fought against Miroku, it showed just how lethal Sango was as a fighter. And the whole, I know you're in there or the power of love doesn't saves her either because she kinda was there because of love in the first place, so Miroku had to fight tooth and nail and get bloody and beaten to lift the mind control.
This was so beautifully put together. 😭
Thank you!
Sango being introduced single handedly killing a demon, survivng getting literally and figuratively stabbed in the back, and *being buried alive, then clawing her way out of her grave* and going off to murder Inuyasha just days later and still giving a good fight is my favorite character entrance ever, and her remaining as strong and lovable as she started out is the standard for female shounen anime characters from this day forth
Sango is such a great written character, man or woman! What I love the most about her character is that her purpose in the show does not solely revolves around a male love interest. Of course, her romantic interest with Miroku is a huge part in her character arc, but it never was her endgame goal. It was always about killing Naraku to avenge her village and save her brother Kohaku. By the end of her character arc, she would've lived a happy life, with or without Miroku, but it has always been her choice if she wanted to be with him.
Naruto and Fairy Tail are my favourite shounen, but I have to agree that many female characters from both series were poorly written. In Fairy Tail Lucy is often portrayed as the damsel in distress who has to be saved by the likes of Natsu, Gray, or even Erza. And while she holds her own from time to time, like when she battled Angel in the Oracion Seis arc, those moments fall short because she is portrayed as mostly feminine without much growth or development. Which is why I kind of like Edolas Lucy, even if she appears to be on the other extreme of a girlboss who rarely shows vulnerability. Other female characters like Levy, Yukino, Aries, Lisanna, and others I feel were also poorly written when it comes to their character growth and development. The only strong female characters who combine femininity with character growth are Erza, Mirajane, maybe Cana and Juvia, and some females from other guilds, but that's about it.
In Naruto, it's likely worse. Sakura coming from a family with no ninja abilities can be compared to Deku from My Hero Academia, who started his journey as quirkless and was looked down on by those with quirks, such as Bakugo or Todoroki. How they developed Deku throughout the early seasons is how Sakura should have been developed. Rock Lee is the male foil to Sakura, at least in the beginning, because he also lacked the ability to perform Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. And that's where I feel Might Guy should have stepped in and also helped Sakura develop her physical training, though maybe not to the extremes that he put Lee through, or that his own sensei once put him through. If Lee did not feel an instant attraction to her, but treated her like he would any opponent, I feel she would have been somewhat compatible in close combat, which would lead her to learning other paths, instead of simply being a device who is loved by Naruto as much as she hates him, and the exact opposite with Sasuke. Also, I really dislike her frenemy relationship with Ino, as the latter is just used as a romance rival for Sasuke's affection, who by the way, cares about no one. He only has one goal in the beginning, and everything and everyone else around him is irrelevant. And the back-and-forth arguing between Sakura and Ino is annoying at times, even if those arguments are spread throughout parts of the series.
Hinata I feel was also wasted. It seems that her only motivation to continue fighting was Naruto, as early in the series and through some flashbacks, we learn that she is the eldest of two girls in her family, and the heiress of her clan. Yet she loses duels not only to Neji, who is part of the branch family that protects the main family, but also to her younger sister, despite being older and bigger than Hanabi. If I was writing Hinata based on the original story, I would have her use those defeats as motivation to further develop her skills and abilities while under the guise of Kurenai. Not just to see where she is physically compared to her peers but also mentally.
Sakura from Naruto, Kikyo from Inuyasha, Balalaika from black lagoon and Midari Ikishima from Kakegurui are my favorite female characters...
Only 17 minutes in, I wanna applaud how much of awareness you have on the world of character design you have at all. So many of your sentences felt like you wording inner feelings I couldn't express before out loud in a mindblowing effective way, so props to that !
22:39 Never really saw Lucy get much backlash that truly lasted like Asuna or Orihime. Maybe it’s because Lucy steps up a bit sooner in comparison. Alot of the stuff in FT wouldn’t have happened without her and she’s pretty proactive in her goals in each arc. She’s also a clutch god in both Tartaros and in the Alvarez War. I love her, Erza and Wendy. They are some of the best written battle shounen female characters in recent memory in my opinion. All in all great vid tho
Your video lost credibility once you said, "gender is a spectrum." No thank you to woke lies!!!
Cya homie 🤙
Can really see the effot you put into this! Awesome series so far & really great perspective on the art of writing a female character! Which is obviously no easy ft!
Thanks halo! Super appreciate it
THANK YOU for mentioning Enies Lobby. I'm rewatching One Piece and that scene still gives me the chills. Robin's story, progression and the crew's sensitivity in understand that sometimes people need to be rescued even if they don't know or cannot bring themselves to grasp that were on point. One Piece in general does that really well for all members (HI SANJI HOW U DOIN) and for most of the other related characters and islands. Really miss the old art style (pre time-skip), the current arc improved that by a lot. What an amazing anime, and what an amazing arc Water 7/Enies Lobby was.
In her defense, the Bleach anime truly didn't do Orihime justice. I'm a manga fan, and I was surprised to learn how hated Orihime is by anime watchers. So many of them dismiss her as the useless girl who crushes on the protagonist while in fact in the manga she really has quite a lot of subtle nuance. First of all, I don't think enough people realize the reason why Orihime falls in love with Ichigo and why that love is so defining. They're kindred spirits. Both of them blame themselves for the death of a loved one whom they hold dearest, and that guilt changes them, but it also shapes them and makes them kind in spite of tragedy. They see themselves in each other, and that's why it's such a significant plot point during the Hueco Mundo arc that Orihime is afraid of Ichigo's hollow mask, because in that mask Orihime can't see her reflection in his eyes, and he sees his own fear of his inner demon reflected on her face.
The thing with Orihime is that she is not a fighter by nature. She's always been the heart of the group. She tries hard to fight and be something she's not because all her friends are fighters but she fails again and again. Constantly being the weak link in the group eats away at her confidence and self-worth. Her development is to come to terms with that fact, and once she does, she's no longer a burden and is finally able to stand with Ichigo against a literal God. Not just that, in a manga full of strong female characters, Orihime is a realistic reflection of how a normal teenage girl would react in her situation. She's not my favorite character in Bleach, but I've come to appreciate her as I grow older.
I think it depends on if your watching the anime or reading the manga
Great video, agree with everything. My favorite female character for now is Noelle Silva...case he line is independant from MC, and she never depends on MC, which is nice to see.
Also good example of great female character not in anime is Daenerys - people hates and love her in same time, while she is hero and villain in same time :D
Also in my list of interesting female characters there will be always place for: Lina Li from D Gray Man, Road Camelot, Yoko and Nia Teppelin and much more.
Plus you forgot legendary Lina Inverse!
Being a big fan of type moon although it's not shounen, I'd consider nasus many heroines really great as well. They are love interests but can largely be anything the story wants them to be. Heroines, antagonists, side characters, ect
I really like this analogy somebody had made up for writing female characters, since it honestly fits A LOT of anime women.
If you can take an important female character in a franchise out, replace her with a sexy lamp, concrete brick, literally just an inanimate object, and story doesn't loose a lot of, if any significance or change in the slightest, she's poorly written.
My reason for disliking Sakura is when she complains to Sasuke about Naruto for behaving like a showoff just because he doesn't have parents. That he never gets punish for his behavior. As someone rise by a grandparent, I related to the loneliness of Naruto.
Yo that moment set in stone that she was the worst. Could have lead to an arc about her becoming more empathetic but that never panned out
That could have theoretically ended with her realizing both have no parents and her trying to invite them over regularly so they can get some proper healthy parental affection.
Naruto's early characterization is that litterally nobody cares for him so he acts out in hopes of attention. (A very real thing, neglect often leads to misbehaving children as when they are getting yelled at they are atleast getting attention)
And sasuke is basically trapped in his hatred for his brother and quest for strength, he really could use some proper affection and advice to move on, or to atleast try and grow smartly. (He literally throws a temper tantrum when her realizes naruto is stronger than him and runs off to orochimaru for the rest of the show, thats an arc that needs to be criticized. After 50 episodes he really should have either been brought home or declared a villain to be slain just like the Akatsuki)
Woman do like shows with action the same way a man likes a slice of life. Just stop objectifying woman and making them two dimensional or having them as just "supporting" cast.
Of course they do. That doesn't change how things are marketed though unfortunately.
And yes, more importance and dimension on women in anime would be wonderful!
Malty is still badly written. That said, I think ALL of Shield Hero is very poorly written.
I'm kinda sad Axelbeats didn't use Rachel as a comparison instead. I haven't watched the Anime but I've read the Manhwa/webtoon and honestly Rachel can go die in a hole but shes a really well written character.
I love anime with female protagonists. We need more. Fullmetal Alchemist has brought us disability representation. Sailor Moon & Cardcaptor Sakura brought us LGBT representation. InuYasha is an amazing series with females who play important roles. Fairy Tail is another great series that gave us males & females fighting side by side. From what I’ve seen on Bleach, I’m quite impressed. I like how so many people from different places were brought together. Everybody deserves to be represented in a respectful manner.
The way Tamaki is written made me drop fireforce
Absolutely godawful "fanservice"
Orihime had some amazing character writing. We have her introduction with her brother, how she values Ichigo for how he protects his family as well as how she connects with him since they were both bullied for their hair color. We got to see her usual mask of upbeat happiness fade in the arancarr arc where she choses to say goodbye to Ichigo. She is an apposing force to Ulquiorra who thinks that the human heart is useless, yet she proves him wrong slowly showing him the kindness no one ever had, admitting she is not afraid of him. We learn about her conviction to heal anyone hurt, even her enemies or bullies. We see how she was scared of Ichigo's mask because of what it represented in him becoming lost or inhuman. She eventually trusts in his strength to control it and gives him the help needed to beat Grimmjow. We see her crack as the last thing that she believed in (Ichigo) dies in front of her. We see Ichigo return to life as a vasto lorde due to how much he cares for her and empathizes with what she has been through. We also see a lot more of her in action and her help with training in the fullbring arc and the rest is manga spoilers but she does quite a bit in the TYBW arc. If there's anyone to use as an example for bad female character writing it is not her. Maybe people missed things because you really have to look into things with Bleach because Kubo will not explain it to you. but most of the mainstream anime community has a hard time reading within the lines
Yes
Also, if a female character's primary function is to be a romantic love interest, there needs to be a reason for why romance exists in the story at all. Like, why is this important for the main character/plot? What's the point? It's so frustrating to see cases like Uraraka where her romantic feelings for the protagonist are pretty much irrelevant to the story at large.
I totally agree with your criticisms of Inoue. It's not only that she largely doesn't do much but in HM arc when the potential is there it's completely wasted and all we get are scenes of her being manhandled by the villains literally or being a damsel for Ichigo.
Rukia played the main heroine role a lot stronger so it's unfortunate she was left behind in spotlight the further the story went, because everytime she was on screen she really shined.
I would have liked a turnaround for Ulqiora, like Grimjow gets, as it was set up that Orihime brought out a better side in him and would have given more of a point to her time spent kidnapped and the idea of her having a more gentle but still valuable form of strength.
It depends on the manga or anime in bleach total different
Didn't expect to see you here
im sorry but what could orihime do against ulq or aizen? shes not a fighter shes a healer and a pacifist
People still doesn’t get Orihime character how many times does it have to be said she isn’t a damn fighter shes a healer, She saved so much characters even the main character there’s already woman in Bleach that fights already this is why woman characters are so doomed cause y’all determined how there only well writing if they fight and not cause of there story
I remember watching Kenshin and I felt like the mangata was really trying to write strong well developed female charaters but kind of kept falling flat on its face. Like the main female lead is introduced as being a master swordsman in her family's style of swordfighting and there's an arc where opponents are paralysed to the point of death but can only break out of it by having a true swordsman's spirit and she breaks out of it herself. But after that her being able to fight is barely brought up again and most significant storylines she gets is how she can't cook (also she's the love interest). There's a female doctor which is cool and she has her own practice but I think she was just a love interest for this other guy and there's a really cool ninja girl who's really funny but she's in love with an ex-villain (the whole relationship kind of reminded me of Sesshomaru and Rin as she's quite young and he's cold and distant and a total hottie). All these characters stay relevant to the plot but they don't have too much agency or expectations. One point literally had the ninja girl and main girl fight this enemy but they were told to back off because they wouldn't win, but this 12 year old boy would and of course he did. There was even a pirate queen who lead a bunch of fearsome pirates but there was a mutiny because her crew didn't respect her and was only following her because her Dad was the old pirate leader, which was good for her because she was good and didn't actually want to hurt people. It felt like these characters were supposed to be developed but ended up being like all other Shonen female characters. I'd still recommend Kenshin though, it was very funny even if its arc became repetitive and predictable.
Lol, good summary of Kenshin
Tbh, the best female character in all of Kenshin was Tomoe and she... didn't do anything. She was just there. But she just... felt so significant? Does that even make sense?
The problem with kamiya kaoru is that the kamiya kasshin style is a mid to low tier swordsman style. She's a real master but the style she was raised in if abjectly inferior.
Even aoshi takes a backseat as a villain once ken figures him out. Kitten kimbu is just slightly better than kamiya kasshin. Kenshin always holding back is the main point.
Gatotsu is a superior form, hiten mitsurugi is just op.
I feel like this video should be titled *women in shonen* as there are lots of great female characters in other series mentioned in the comments, but those mentioned are mostly from shojo or josei series. Just a thought...
I loved Noelle'a character development! Yes, she has her crush on Asta, but that's not the only thing she has going for her.
On fan service: I don't mind it. I love the occasional fan service! I just hate when that's the main trait of the female character. 😒 While the women in Fairy Tail are strong, it's literally every. single. fight. They get stripped down to almost nothing. It gets old. Same with fire force like mentioned in the video. It's more bothersome when it's non consensual.
I've watched Dr.Stone, but am reading the manga now and there is SO much fan service. BUT, the women are so much more than the fan service that I don't mind it. They're not damsels in distress or love interests. They're strong and bring more to the story. Same with My Dress Up Darling. Fan service galore! But Marin is so well written and it has a point.
Honestly for an example of how to write female characters in action anime, please go watch Lycoris Recoil it’s excellent.
I’m pretty sure Sango was my first favourite anime/manga character in general. My first introduction to the genre was inuyasha volume 21, that my mom happened to buy for me when I was 10. Obviously that series has a lot of fanservice too, but in my opinion it was still handled well. We know the mangaka has no problem doing a lot more of it, considering Ranma 1/2. Rumiko Takahashi is just a great writer, with a lot of variety in her works. Being a girl myself, I get why people can have problems with fanservice, but it can also be a much heathier introduction to attraction and sexuality than many religious environments for example. At least when it’s done well.
I remember Sango being just a great character in the sense that she has clear understandable motives and aspirations, yet can still react and change depending on the situation. Her relationship with Miroku can seem off for someone that hasn’t seen the whole story, but is actually very much based on both of them trusting and caring for another. The characters in inuyasha are all wondefully deep and adaptable. The development and plot don’t feel artificial or forced like they often do in other series I’ve seen since. Inuyasha also doesn’t seem to fall into the trap of preferring to use shock-value over build up. Things feel earned and satisfying. It’s just an amazing piece of media that i could talk for hours about 😅
I also think genkai from YuYu Hakusho would be another amazing female character you could consider for future videos about character analysis. Like a mentor type. A video for writing anime, like Jiraya, Joseph Joestar in JJBA part 3 or even Uncle Iroh from Avatar.
Nami, Robin and Jolyne are great female characters in shonen.
Fun fact index and railgun is my favorite series I think mikoto misaka is on of the best written female characters from what she goes through to her progression in the light novel
railgun has so much annoying fanservice though. i feel like railgun kind of peaked with the misaka network arc closely followed by accelerator's story
Seems like a lot of the good female characters are by female authors, am I right?
Nothings ever 100% but ya it definitely trends that way. Easier to write about your own experiences after all
@@AxelBeats Oh, also, on a related note, and possibly something that could make a fun little video topic: if you look up “The 10 Richest Mangaka in Japan, Ranked” on CBR in 2020, it seems they somehow skipped most if not all female mangaka that are as or MORE successful than those on the list…it’s almost comical.
@@rosieweaselby I know the exact article you’re talking about and I was baffled how few women they bothered to mention. If I’m not mistaken, Rumiko Takahashi is pretty high up on the highest earning mangakas. And she didn’t even get a brief mention.
Why does a character need a reason to be female? I could ask why a character needs to be male. Why is male the default? Boys can't relate to female characters? So why would girls relate to boy characters? I don't care what sex or gender the character is as long as they're a good character. A character shouldn't need to have a reason to be a girl, they just need to be a good character.
That's... my whole point. I think regardless of the gender an author is selecting, a reason or at least consideration should be put behind it. Not just female. Not just male. I don't want any defaults.
Stories are so much more interesting when there is intentionality behind character design and stories. Just like an author considers the rest of the physical body and their personality, gender is a pretty big part of what defines someone's journey on a social and personal level. So I think ignoring that only hurts the story being told.
Ever consider writing your own manga? I think that would be really awesome..
I second that
I dunno, Orihime is kept pretty relevant throughout the whole story, and although she lacks in firepower, she is probably one of the most useful members of the group. She also proves to be pretty damn strong in terms of heart and mind, I can't imagine being a willing hostage to a group of enemies that would casually eat and kill you if they could while being a 16 year old high schooler, especially when unlike Ichigo she wouldn't actually be able to hurt these monsters. She does some pretty incredible things throughout the series even up to the last arc, and I feel like people dismiss her because she has a shy personality, and she doesn't have a lot of the usual "strong woman" personality traits that you can see a lot of in anime.