Highlights
- Female characters in anime are often portrayed as queens or princesses, but there is a scarcity of empresses.
- The few empresses that exist in anime are depicted as competent rulers who bring about significant changes in their respective kingdoms.
- Empresses like Kou Shuurei, Empress Augusta Vradica, and Empress Tianzi face various challenges but demonstrate resilience and determination in their roles as empresses.
From valiant queens to courageous princesses, female rulers in anime series are ever so apparent. However, one distinction of the ruling class where women seem to be sparse is emperorship, as female characters are rarely given such high-ranking positions. While a queen rules one nation or kingdom, an empress has power over multiple kingdoms and countries, deeming it the highest position of political power.
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Powerful rulers of their own realms, these anime emperors are some of the most infamous and beloved characters in their respective series.
The anime landscape is populated by all sorts of emperors, yet empresses are few and far between. Still, a few anime series feature impressive monarchs who have taken up the role of empress, despite resistance from opposing forces. The few empresses that exist have proven to be excellent rulers, showcasing the competency of women in positions of high political power.
5 Kou Shuurei
Saiunkoku Monogatari
|
Kingdom Name |
Saiunkoku |
|
Status |
Deceased |
Kou Shuurei’s journey from a lowly commoner to an empress consort is an inspiring story, especially since women were banned from partaking in any governmental affairs at that time. Shuurei’s dream always revolved around changing the country for the better, yet the ban on women sitting in the imperial examinations barred her from even getting a chance.
By some stroke of luck, she receives the opportunity to become the emperor’s consort for six months, with the goal of changing the immature ruler’s ways. She accepts, hoping to change the country for the better, though the entire ordeal turns into a love debacle between her and the emperor. She eventually marries the emperor, Ryuuki Shi, and also influences him to become a better ruler, thereby achieving the goal of making major reforms in the country.
4 Empress Augusta Vradica
Trinity Blood
|
Kingdom Name |
New Human Empire |
|
Status |
Active |
Seth Nightlord, also known as Empress Augusta Vradica, belongs to the Trinity Blood saga, a series that offers a fusion between the supernatural and sci-fi genres. Even with the identity of an empress, she prefers to go by the persona of Seth, hiding her true image as the ruler of multiple kingdoms. Despite being an empress to the New Human Empire, Seth took up the role of major at the UN science department.
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Much of humanity’s scientific advancements can also be attributed to her, as she was able to merge the Crusnik Bacillus with genetically engineered humans successfully. Seth currently holds the facade of a sweet little girl, yet her true role as Empress Augusta Vradica shines through whenever her empire is in trouble.
3 Marianne vi Britannia
Code Geass
|
Kingdom Name |
Holy Britannian Empire |
|
Status |
Deceased |
Code Geass
- Release Date
- October 6, 2006
- Genres
- Mecha, Action, Sci-Fi
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Number of Episodes
- 50
Marianne vi Britannia was Charles vi Brtiannia’s 5th wife, though what set her apart from the rest of his consorts was her commoner status. Charles’ attention toward Marianne sparked jealousy among the other wives, and this was possibly one of the reasons behind her eventual murder. Despite not playing a major role in the series, Marianne vi Britannia still holds a considerable position in the narrtive, especially due to her status as Lelouch’s mother.
However, the series later reveals Marianne to be alive due to her Geass powers, allowing her to release her consciousness from her body and take hold of another’s. Her disposition takes a turn and she is portrayed as an antagonist who aided Charles’ rise to the Holy Britannian throne. Marianne is eventually killed by her own son, a fitting end for a cunning and heartless mother.
2 Empress Tianzi
Code Geass
|
Kingdom Name |
Chinese Federation |
|
Status |
Active |
Empress Tianzi is a child ruler of the Chinese Federation, though her title of being the ruler of multiple kingdoms doesn’t make her life any easier. Instead, she is locked away inside her palace, and used as a political puppet by the Eunuchs in power. Tianzi’s life may have been miserable and despair-ridden, yet she powered through those hardships with her kind heart.
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Tianzi was about to be married off to Odysseus eu Britannia in a political union, although she was saved by Lelouch at the last minute. She may have initially lost her power to the manipulation of the Eunuchs, but she was able to persevere and regain control of her kingdom through her unfaltering resolve.
1 Big Mom
One Piece
|
Kingdom Name |
Totto Land |
|
Status |
Unknown |
One Piece
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
- 1082+
Big Mom is one of One Piece’s major antagonists, yet her oddball characterization makes her an amusing villain. She also boasts a position among the Four Emperors, a group of four rulers who have control over The New World. This deems her an empress of her own island, one where she wishes to create a utopia that would allow people of all races to live in harmony.
Despite an honorable goal, Big Mom’s stance against the Straw Hats makes her an antagonist from the storyline’s perspective. Due to her large size and Soul-Soul Devil Fruit, Big Mom is a formidable opponent that only a few can rival. While she eventually loses her position among the Four Emperors, she still retains her status as the queen of Totto Land, cementing herself as a ruler nonetheless.
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