Anime recs with good female characters

I’m looking for something new to watch! Apologies if this has been asked a million times:)

Anime’s I’ve watched and loved:

Dandadan

Apothecary diaries

Spy x family

Yona of the dawn

Frieren: beyond journeys end

Fullmetal alchemist

I liked how well written the characters in attack on titan were but Eren annoyed me😅 other than that I enjoyed it!

Would love any suggestions with:

Well written female characters (especially if they are a lead), well written romance, minimal fan service, entertaining plot lines. Open to basically any genre but extra points for action, adventure, or fantasy.

Must be dubbed

Thank you so much!

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Commentaires

AutoModerator2026-01-23 05:54

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Shenghia2026-01-23 06:03

Hotly debated but I’ll say Chainsaw Man

youravgindian2026-01-23 06:04

Momo Ayase from Dandadan and almost all the female characters from that show and manga gets to shine instead of your run-of-the-mill damsel in distress trope or something-something character archetype that has been done a million times in the history of anime. Yes, the tropey-ness still is there but I don't know, its not as annoying as I find in so many other anime. You'll start seeing those characters shine from season 3 onward.

Attack on Titan also have fair share of good, bad, underused and over used female characters. But it's a good mix, plus the story carries the show.

Chihiro from spirited away is really one of the best things for children, both male and female because the whole premise of the movie is dealing with uncertainty and the fear of unknown, especially as a kid, those things are life or death situations.

Chainsaw Man is what you are looking for if you want to see well-written female antagonists. If you saw the Reze Arc movie, trust me, its only the beginning. 2nd half of the manga is where it gets from great to a masterpiece.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners had Lucy and Dorio. Rebecca is not my type of character but I get why people love her.

Hibike Euphonium and especially the movie Liz and the Blue Bird by Naoko Yamada is one of my fav movies I've ever watched. Mentioning Naoko Yamada, you should definitely watch A silent Voice, the main lead is a female-disabled teen dealing with self-acceptance and bullying. I need to watch her latest movie, A Colours Within, which has like 93-94% on Rotten tomatoes but unfortunately bombed.

Violet evergarden.

A couple characters in JJK, My hero and any shonen that has come out post covid has a lot of female characters done okay-ish. Older shonen, One piece has the best female ensemble cast.

Bocchi the Rock, K-On, Revue Starlight (can't be explained in words but only one word, ART), Blue Box (especially for romance), a place further than the universe (coming of age, adventure)

Consistent_Case13222026-01-23 06:27

I second Hibike! Euphonium, one of the best female casts in anime and Kumiko is one of the best written female characters (my top 2). Hibike has minimal fan service too. It's perfect for OP.

Affectionate-Can-2312026-01-23 06:07

It’s in a dark fantasy supernatural kind of universe but Garden of Sinners has one of my favorite female leads. For a lighter hearted kind of show I’d say 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! It’s about a woman who is killed and reincarnated and married to the man who killed her in the previous life.

faithfulheresy2026-01-23 07:05

I adore Garden of Sinners, but it's kinda hard to recommend to people without actually *knowing* them.

BosuW2026-01-23 06:10

Sounds like prime post to push the Yuri agenda!

-Bloom into You

-This Monster Wants to Eat Me

-Stardust Telepath

-Aoi Hana

-Shy

-Akebi's Sailor Uniform

-They Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

-Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

-A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof (this one probably goes a bit over "minimal fanservice" tho)

We also got the "it's technically not Yuri but there's no heterosexual explanation for this" kinda anime:

-Bang Dream ItsMyGo!!!! and it's sequel Bang Dream AveMujica (also Girls Band anime in general they're awesome)

-Revue Starlight

-Little Witch Academia

-Puella Magi Madoka Magica

-Lycoris Recoil

Finally, not Yuri but it's incredible with an awesome female protagonist: Clevatess

Edit: Oh shit I just saw your "must be dubbed" requirement. Yeah sorry I didn't check on that. Some of my recs should be dubbed at least

Lower_Fan2026-01-23 06:21

Acendace of a bookworm if you like Apothecary diaries

Ippen2026-01-23 06:24

* Clevatess
1. Black Lagoon
1. Bocchi the Rock!
1. Made In Abyss
1. Silent Witch
1. Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night
1. Soul Eater
1. Takopis Original Sin
1.
1. The Promised Neverland (season 1 only)

Sw0rDz2026-01-23 06:40

Consider Tis Torture Time, Princess. The lead is more than a princess, but commander of the third imperial regiment. She is the strongest in the shows world. She does reveal one secret.

Nvm, it's not dub.

Jaycee_015x2026-01-23 06:53

Violet Evergarden 💜

faithfulheresy2026-01-23 07:01

It's an older show, but give Fushigi Yugi a shot.

It's a shoujo fantasy series with great romance, some solid action scenes, and little fan service. It's Yuu Watase's flagship series, and one she's been writing (on and off) for nearly 40 years.

zephyrseija22026-01-23 07:08

Delicious in Dungeon. Secrets of the Silent Witch.

sleep0beepo2026-01-23 07:14

rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai - theres fan service only in the first few episodes and it isnt gratuitous

nevertheunder2026-01-23 07:25

It’s an oldie but it was uploaded on crunchyroll recently. It’s called The Twelve Kingdoms and it’s an isekai waaaay before the genre got popular. Honestly overall the anime is decently okay, many characters are frustratingly flawed for 2/3 of the 50 or so episodes, but they all have their character growth in the end and the payout is so good. But the reason they’re flawed is because they’re normal Japanese high schoolers suddenly transported to a fantasy land set in the feudal-like past (Chinese and Japanese elements) where they can’t understand the language. The story has a more realistic approach to how characters deal with that than your typical modern brain rot anime’s.

It’s a coming-of-age, isekai, political intrigue, fantasy, action adventure with, I wouldn’t say mature, themes, but a more serious approach to these themes than the shonen examples you listed.

There’s a manga too.

crackalakaling2026-01-23 11:28

- Rock is a lady's modesty. If you enjoy music themed anime this is very good. I like the leads and the music.
- Vivy: fluorite eye's song. A music themed sci fi show.
- Moribito: Guardian of the spirit. Balsa is one of my favourite female leads.
- Akiba maid war. It's a silly over the top action packed show.