For years, shonen has been infamous for its poor portrayal of female characters. To this day, many shonen heroines fail to match up to their male counterparts, and that’s mostly due to poor writing decisions within the story and characterization. Despite this, there are still many great shonen girls that deserve the same love and attention as the male heroes.
Sadly, many of these female characters are overlooked, forgotten, or written off as damsels in distress. Whether they’re mistreated heroines from a popular series or well-written characters from a lesser-known title, there are many incredible shonen girls that are severely underrated. Though they may not be as popular as the rest, they’re just as amazing and deserve the same recognition.
10 Tsubaki Nakatsukasa (Soul Eater)
Soul Eater is filled with amazing and well-written characters that are all adored by the fans. However, like with any series, some characters tend to get less love than others. Among them is Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, a skilled demon weapon and the partner of fan-favorite Black Star. Though she’s part of the main cast, she’s one of the more overlooked characters in the group.
With Tsubaki’s quiet and calm demeanor, she tends to fade into the background compared to her more outgoing allies. However, fans shouldn’t sell her short. Despite her subdued character, Tsubaki is a strong warrior with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. She’s a vital member of the main cast, and her levelheadedness has saved the day on many occasions.
9 Sylvette Suede (Tegami Bachi)
Tegami Bachi is a shonen series that seems to have flown under the radar for most fans. Despite its unique setting and premise, it’s gone widely unnoticed for years. As a result, its many lovable characters haven’t gotten nearly as much recognition as they deserve, including the series’ lead female, Sylvette Suede.
It’s easy to write Sylvette off as another weak damsel at first due to her timidity and crybaby personality. But as Tegami Bachi progresses, she proves she’s anything but. Born without the use of her legs, Sylvette has learned to adapt to life’s many challenges and has become one of the toughest girls in the series.
8 Canary (Hunter X Hunter)
Hunter x Hunter has many heroes deserving of more recognition, but few are quite as underrated as Canary. Despite her young age, Canary is a powerful force to be reckoned with and can take on even some of the strongest heavyweights in the series. Her ruthlessness and brute strength make her an impressive opponent, and she’s able to take out an entire group of invaders by herself.
Apart from her amazing abilities, Canary is a well-written and likable character with a kind heart and a fierce loyalty to the Zoldyck family. While she’s not a major character in Hunter x Hunter, she’s definitely one of the best minor characters and deserves way more love from fans.
7 Lanalee Lee (D.Gray-Man)
Lanalee Lee is one of three main characters in D.Gray-man, as well as the series’ leading lady. Though many see her as just another typical female lead, Lanalee proves to be much more than that. She’s one of the better-written shonen heroines of the 2000s, and though she’s got many of the same traits, she manages to hold her own as a character.
Unlike most heroines in shonen, Lanalee doesn’t take a backseat in the story, and she’s just as strong and capable as her male counterparts. Sadly, she’s been largely forgotten by shonen fans over time, though she’s undoubtedly a shining example of a great female protagonist.
6 Android 18 (Dragon Ball)
The Dragon Ball franchise has some pretty amazing female characters. But while most fans are quick to praise Chichi or Bulma, many of the other great girls in the series get largely overlooked. Android 18 is probably one of the franchise’s most underrated female characters due to a lack of screen time that’s nothing short of criminal.
However, Android 18’s a dynamic character who goes through an impressive amount of development despite her limited time in the story. Much like Vegeta, she transforms from a ruthless villain to a lovable hero with a family she puts above all else. Though she’s been featured less and less throughout Dragon Ball, Android 18 is still a force to be reckoned with and deserves way more attention.
5 Orihime Inoue (Bleach)
Most Bleach fans will argue that Orihime is one of the weaker characters in the series. And by comparison, that may be true, especially early on in Bleach, where she’s little more than a damsel in distress. However, Orihime proves to be far more than that as the story progresses.
As she slowly begins to develop her own abilities, Orihime becomes much more capable in a fight and even manages to hold her own without the help of Ichigo or anyone else. Many of her accomplishments have been downplayed over the years, and as her role in the story diminished, many began to see her as just the “love interest” and nothing more.
4 Lucy Heartfilia (Fairy Tail)
Lucy Heartfilia is a character that Fairy Tail fans seem to either love or hate. Throughout the years, she’s been branded as nothing more than another weak and useless shonen female lead. However, Lucy is capable of far more than some fans give her credit for.
Lucy’s magic abilities are nothing short of impressive, especially considering the amount of power and energy it takes to summon spirits. But because her abilities aren’t necessarily fighting-based, many tend to write her off as weaker than the rest of the Fairy Tail guild. Despite that, she’s a vital part of the team, and her efforts are what keep them all together.
3 Clare (Claymore)
Claymore is a criminally underrated shonen series with a strong plot and an even stronger protagonist. Clare is far from the typical damsel found within most shonen series. She’s powerful, capable, and resilient, and she can easily match up to any of the more popular heroes.
For these reasons and more, Clare is a rare gem in shonen and shows the true potential of female heroes in the demographic. Unfortunately, because Claymore doesn’t get the recognition of the mainstream titles, she’s been widely overlooked by most shonen fans over the years. But the biggest fans know that she’s one of the best protagonists shonen has to offer.
2 Nico Robin (One Piece)
Throughout One Piece‘s run, the Straw Hats crew has recruited some pretty amazing members. However, not all of them get the credit they truly deserve. Among them is Nico Robin, one of the crew’s most overlooked members. She may not seem like much when it comes to fighting, but Robin still plays an important role in the crew and the story overall.
While most One Piece characters fight with brute strength, Robin uses her intelligence to save the day instead. As the crew’s official archeologist, she uses her skills to unravel the world’s greatest mysteries and help pave the way for the Straw Hat’s future. Sadly, Robin has taken a back seat in recent arcs, but she’s still an asset to the crew and full of potential.
1 Sakura Haruno (Naruto)
Though she’s been branded as one of the worst characters in the Naruto franchise, there’s no denying that Sakura Haruno is one of anime’s most underrated female characters. To this day, most fans write her off as useless, constantly downplaying her many contributions to the story. While it’s true that she started out as Team 7’s weakest link, she’s actually had much more development than most give her credit for.
Sakura may not have the godlike powers that Naruto and Sasuke possess, but she’s still a powerhouse in her own right. With medical ninjutsu abilities others could only dream of and incredible brute strength, Sakura is capable of some amazing feats. She may seem weak, but in reality, she’s one of Konoha’s strongest kunoichi.
