Looking for a Female Mc or a strong female cast without being fan service-y
Hey guys, I’ve been watching anime for a bit now and I’m always looking for fresh recommendations to add to my list. I’m specifically curious if any of you have suggestions for shows featuring a strong female main character or a predominantly female cast. I’m looking for something that isn’t heavy on the fan service. I really just want to see well-written characters with agency. I don’t have a specific genre in mind, so I'm open to anything from high-stakes action and fantasy to grounded dramas. I just want to find something where the women are depicted as badass, funny, and genuinely strong. What are your absolute must-watches that fit this description?
Thank you all in advance!
Thank you all in advance!
Commentaires
The users of this subreddit came up with [a chart of anime recommendations for newcomers and veterans](https://i.redd.it/0w1v880jtq661.png) and [an awesome longer flowchart](https://i.redd.it/vdzlkodz19c71.png). Maybe you can find something there that you'll like \^.\^
[](#bot-chan "Urban s-s-s-senpai made me do it!")
You might also find our [Recommendation Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations) or [daily thread](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3Adaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=week) helpful.
The following may be of interest:
* [List of legal streams and downloads](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/legal_streams)
* [A useful website where you can enter an anime and see where it's legally streaming](https://www.livechart.me/search)
* [List of currently airing anime](https://www.livechart.me)
* [A useful wiki page with watch orders for many anime.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/watch_order)
* [A list of tracking sites so others can more easily recommend shows you haven't watched.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/related_sites#wiki_tracking_sites)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Revy (Black Lagoon)
Cornelia li Britannia (Code Geass)
Yoruichi Shihouin (Bleach)
Frolaytia Capistrano (Heavy Object)
Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit
Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shells Films and SAC )
Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song
Princess Principal
Birdie Wing
Claymore
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Psycho-Pass
Ergo Proxy
Golden Kamuy
Chihayafuru
Mobile Police Patlabor
Yona of the Dawn
Rose of Versailles
Frieren
Lycoris Recoil
Bocchi the Rock!
and basically any women commander in Mobile Suit Gundam
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
In/Spectre had some fanservice, but not much.
Bofuri
Girls Band Cry
Edit: might not be the type of strong you're looking for, but it might still be worth a shot. both seasons are genuinely really good imo.
**Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (title character and one of the two secondary leads):**
The demon lord has been defeated by the party of heroes, the nigh unaging elf mage decides what to do and reflects on her time with the rest of old party having soon died due to limited lifespans. Great fights, great music, may make you think heavily about the passage of time. She's considered somewhat of a legend and an incredibly strong combatant
**Apothecary diaries:**
Mystery/court intrige story about an apothecary who grew up in a top end brothel, who gets kidnapped and sold to work as a serving girl in the emperor's imperial harem. She's one of the sharpest minds, and most of the other major characters are women in the inner palace, who are mostly there because they are also sharp minds. There are a couple mostly estabilishing shots of some mid and upper rank courtisans outside the imperial harem that are sexualising of characters, but I'd certainly not call the show fan servicy- it doesn't have random butt shots etc
**Ascendance of a bookword (primary character)**
Reincarned into a dead girl, decides to make paper and do capitalism. Has to deal with society.
I'd also say:
Girl's last tour (two girls survive everyone disappearing from a multilayer city)
Kino's journey is a weird one, the original series often revolves around the POV character not putting their thoughts out there whilst going to places.
Silent Witch: Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto (traumised occasionally non-verbal mathmatical sequence loving archmage gets sent away from her quiet room to a school where she struggles)
I guess also The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent, where the main character is an overpowered saintess, and many other saintess/villainess anime with varying tones. Except From Bureaucrat to Villainess.
Magical girl animes targeted at a female audience:
\- Cardcaptor Sakura
\- Princess Tutu
\- Ojamajo Doremi
\- Revolutionary Girl Utena (this one I would say has female-targeted fan service, with hot anime guys often being shirtless)
Magical Girl animes targeted at a mixed audience and with more focus on fights and action, but with little to no fan-service:
\- Madoka Magica
\- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
\- Izetta The Last Witch
Non-magical girl animes with well-written female protagonists:
\- Frieren
\- The Apothecary Diaries (this one has moderate fan-service, both male and female-targeted)
\- Fruits Basket
\- Rose of Versailles
\- Skip and Loafer
\- Inuyasha
Animes of the "military moe" (female cast, but mostly targeted at males) variety, with little to no fan-service and decent writing:
\- Girls und Panzer
\- High School Fleet
Romances with male main characters but with well-written or decently-written female leads and little to no fan service:
\- Kimagure Orange Road (mild fan-service)
\- Your Lie in April
\- Teasing Master Takagi-san
\- Love, Chunibyo and other delusions
\- The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (the female lead is a bit of an idealised wish fullfilment, but I'd say it's a very decently written one)
* Shy
* Akiba Maid Wars
* Ascendence of a Bookworm
Otherside Picnic
Apothecary Diaries
Clevatess
Bofuri
Frieren
Lycoris Recoil