Female-centric anime is highly underappreciated. Most people sort of ignore them because they do not think a female protagonist can live up to their expectations. However, that is so not true. If you have seen Violet Evergarden or Sailor Moon, you will highly disagree with this statement.
If you are in a broody mood, we must assure you that an anime series with a female protagonist can give you a boost. There is this charm in anime series with a female protagonist that you can’t get from any of the other anime.
With the excitement and heartwarming tales of friendship and the inspiring story of the female protagonist, we definitely think it’s worth it. There are different types of female protagonists. Some can be heroic meanwhile others can be villainous, but the fact that you will get charmed by their screen presence won’t change.
In the last few years, we have noticed that with every passing year, we are getting more female protagonists, which gives us hope that we might possibly get more female-centric anime in the future. Here is a list of anime series where the female protagonist is running the show.
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1. Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden is an anime series that follows the story of a young girl Violet, an “Auto Memory Doll,” a human-like mechanized doll used to assist people in writing their letters. After the war, Violet is sent to the CH Postal Company to further her studies as an Auto Memory Doll.
At first, Violet is a blank slate as she does not understand emotions or human interactions. But with the help of her mentor, Gilbert Bougainvillea, Violet slowly learns to understand the meaning of love and friendship.
2. Fruits Basket
Some people consider kindness a weakness, but our female protagonist in this anime has proved to us that’s not the case at all. It follows the story of an average high school student Tohru Honda, who finds herself living with the Sohma family after her mother’s death.
Tohru discovers the secret of The Sohma family and promises not to tell anyone. Throughout the series, she helps the Sohma family deal with their curse and its emotional pain.
3. Nana
It follows the story of two young women, Nana Komatsu (Hachi) and Nana Osaki, who share the same name. Both Nanas are drastically different in terms of personality, lifestyle, and ambitions, yet their paths intertwine as the story progresses.
Hachi is a naive and innocent girl who moves to Tokyo to follow her boyfriend and pursue her dream of becoming a singer. She quickly meets Nana Osaki, a punk rocker and aspiring singer determined to make it big.
4. Chihayafuru
Chihaya Ayase, a schoolgirl, is inspired by a new classmate to take up competitive karuta, a Japanese card game. With help from her friends, she joins a school club and begins to compete in tournaments.
As the series progresses and Chihaya’s skills improve, she discovers a new passion and strives to become the best karuta player in Japan. Along the way, Chihaya and her friends learn more about the history and culture of karuta, meet new rivals, and strive to achieve their dreams.
5. Serial Experiments Lain
Lain Iwakura is an adolescent middle school girl living in suburban Japan who is exposed to Wired, a global communications network that is similar to the internet. The story follows Lain as she makes her way through the Wired and begins to encounter mysterious phenomena.
Throughout the series, Lain struggles to reconcile the various realities she encounters and her own sense of self and discovers that her actions have far-reaching consequences for the Wired and the real world.
6. Wonder Egg Priority
Ai Ooto, a teenage girl, lives in a near-future world where a mysterious egg has been discovered. Ai is one of the few people who can interact with this egg, and she is tasked with uncovering its secrets.
She soon discovers that the egg contains a mysterious being known as the Priority, who has the power to grant wishes.
7. A Certain Scientific Railgun
Mikoto Misaka is an electro master and one of the seven Level 5 espers in Academy City, a city saturated with science and advanced technology. Mikoto is also known as “The Railgun” due to her signature move of firing metal projectiles with electricity.
Along with her friends, Mikoto faces various threats to Academy City, such as the mysterious organization known as “Tree Diagram” and a group of skilled espers known as “The Sisters.”
8. Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow
Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow follows the adventures of 16-year-old Ohana Matsumae, a girl who is sent to live with her grandmother at a traditional hot spring inn called the Kissuiso. Ohana’s mother, Satsuki, runs away with her new boyfriend, leaving Ohana behind.
At first, Ohana is excited to leave Tokyo and start a new life at the inn, but she soon learns that her grandmother is a tough, old-fashioned woman who expects Ohana to work hard as a servant.
9. Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf follow the journey of Lawrence Craft and Holo, a traveling merchant and a wolf-god respective. Lawrence goes from town to town to sell his goods to make a living, while Holo, the wolf-god in human form, helps him in his travels.
The two eventually form a strong bond, and Holo agrees to help Lawrence in his business by using her powers to predict the future of the markets and guide Lawrence to profitable deals.
10. Girls & Panzer
A group of high school girls from the Ooarai Girls Academy participates in a unique competition called sencha-dō, which involves operating World War II-era tanks. The girls must fight against other teams to win the match and save their school from being shut down.
The main character is Miho Nishizumi, a transfer student initially uninterested in Sensha-dō. However, as she meets her teammates and gets to know them, she gradually begins to enjoy the sport and bond with them.
11. Kakegurui
Hyakkaou Private Academy is a school where the children of the wealthy upper-class gamble with their lives as stakes. Yumeko Jabami, a beautiful but mysterious transfer student at the prestigious academy, quickly discovers that an oppressive gambling system rules the school.
The winners take all, and the losers are forced to suffer the consequences. Yumeko battles her way through the treacherous school as she strives to uncover the secrets of the academy and ultimately overthrow its oppressive system.
12. Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls
Konomi is an avid climber who dreams of becoming a professional one day. She joins the school’s sport climbing club and quickly makes friends with her fellow club members.
Together they all work hard to improve their skills and compete in various competitions. Along the way, they form a strong bond and share many laughs as they enjoy their sport.
13. Maid Sama!
The series follows Misaki Ayuzawa, Seika High’s first female student council president, who works part-time at a maid café to help her family. She despises the mostly male students for being lazy and unmotivated, but her uncompromising attitude is softened when she meets the popular and kind-hearted Takumi Usui.
The story revolves around Misaki’s daily life as she struggles to balance school and a part-time job. Along the way, she faces various challenges, such as rumors about her and Usui, her former rival becoming her ally, and her ongoing search for love.
14. My Little Monster
Shizuku Mizutani is obsessed with studying and achieving academic excellence. One day, she is tasked with delivering some handouts to a student in her class named Haru Yoshida.
Upon arriving at his desk, she discovers Haru is an unpredictable and impulsive “monster” who is often in trouble. Despite his behavior, Haru quickly takes a liking to Shizuku and follows her around.
15. Blue Spring Ride
Blue Spring Ride is a romantic anime that follows the story of Futaba Yoshioka, a teenage girl who had her first love in middle school. After her first love is gone, she is determined never to experience such pain again.
She transfers to a new high school and tries to start anew, but she is soon found out by her former love, Kou Tanaka, who has also moved to her new school.
16. Kimi ni Todoke
Sawako Kuronuma is a timid and misunderstood high school girl who her classmates have given the nickname “Sadako.” Due to her resemblance to the character from the Japanese horror film The Ring.
After befriending the popular Kazehaya Shouta, Sawako’s life begins to change as her previously closed-off heart opens up to the people around her. The story follows Sawako’s growth as she learns to understand herself and the people around her, and in the process, she discovers the strength of the bonds of friendship and love.
17. Snow White with the Red Hair
Shirayuki is a beautiful girl living in the country of Tanbarun who has gorgeous red hair. She is noticed by the prince of Tanbarun, Raji, who then orders her to become his concubine. Refusing to comply, Shirayuki chops off her long locks and flees the country in search of a new life.
Along the way, she meets a young boy named Zen, the prince of the neighboring kingdom of Clarines. He helps her to find her way through the forest and to the nearby town of Tanbarun. Shirayuki eventually passes an exam to become a court herbalist and starts a new life in Clarines.
18. Lovely Complex
Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani, despite their height difference, become fast friends, and their relationship quickly progresses to something more.
The story follows these two as they navigate the ups and downs of teenage love. Along the way, they make friends and rivals and have plenty of funny moments. They learn that love isn’t always easy as they try to figure out their feelings for each other.
19. Wolf Girl & Black Prince
Erika Shinohara is an average high schooler desperate for people to think she is cool and popular. To do so, she lies about having a boyfriend, claiming to her classmates that she’s in a relationship with a handsome, popular boy.
However, when her classmates ask to meet him, Erika panics and goes to a photo studio to take a picture of a handsome model, Kyoya Sata, and passes it off as her boyfriend. When Kyoya finds out about her lie, he blackmails her into becoming his dog and promises to keep her secret if she obeys him.
20. Cardcaptor Sakura
It follows the adventures of a 10-year-old girl named Sakura Kinomoto, who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally releasing a set of magical cards from a book in her father’s library.
With the help of her best friend Tomoyo and the guardian of the cards, Kero, Sakura embarks on an adventure to capture the cards and prevent them from wreaking havoc on the world.
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21. Kamisama Kiss
Nanami Momozono is a high school girl who suddenly finds herself homeless and alone after her father runs away to avoid his gambling debts. While walking around town, Nanami saves a strange man from a dog. To thank her, the man gives her his house.
When Nanami arrives at the home, she discovers it is a shrine, and the man is a fox yokai named Tomoe. Tomoe tells Nanami that he will serve her, and together they must protect the shrine from supernatural threats.
22. Sailor Moon
Usagi Tsukino is a fourteen-year-old girl who discovers that she is the Moon Princess’s reincarnation and the leader of the Sailor Senshi, a group of magical girls who protect the Solar System from evil.
Usagi and her friends, Sailor Senshi, fight against the forces of evil, including the Dark Kingdom, which Queen Beryl and her generals lead. Along the way, they meet allies, such as the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, and face challenges, such as finding the Legendary Silver Crystal.
23. Real Girl
Hikari Tsutsui is a high school student whose classmates have ostracized him because of his otaku hobbies. One day, he finds himself in a difficult situation when he accidentally saves Iroha Igarashi, the most popular girl in his school, from a group of delinquents.
Despite his initial reluctance, Hikari and Iroha gradually become friends, and eventually, they even start dating. The series follows their relationship as they learn to understand and accept each other despite their personality differences.
24. Itazura na Kiss
The story of Itazura na Kiss revolves around the life of Aihara Kotoko, a high school girl who has no luck in love. She is in love with Irie Naoki, the brightest and most popular guy in school, but she is too shy to confess her feelings to him.
When her father’s job forces her family to move to a new town, Kotoko is devastated. But soon after, she discovers that Naoki and his family have moved into the same neighborhood! Now that they live close together, Kotoko hopes to find an opportunity to tell him how she feels.
25. Skip Beat!
It follows the life of high school student Kyouko Mogami, who is determined to exact revenge on her childhood friend and singing partner, Shoutaro Fuwa, for using her and breaking her heart. She follows him to Tokyo to enter the entertainment industry and beat him at his own game.
Kyouko’s journey begins when she is taken in by a talent agency and starts working as a model and actress. She is quickly noticed for her hard work and dedication to her craft and is soon cast in various TV shows, films, and even music videos.
26. Bokura ga Ita
The story revolves around Nanami Takahashi, a high school student, and her growing relationship with her classmate Yano Motoharu. It takes place in a small seaside town in Japan.
Nanami Takahashi is a shy and naive girl, one day, she meets Yano Motoharu, a popular and outgoing boy, and even though he is a bit of a troublemaker, she quickly falls for him. As their relationship grows, Nanami discovers that Yano has a dark past that he has kept hidden from her.
27. Mew Mew Power
Mew Mew Power tells the story of five teenage girls infused with endangered animals’ DNA, giving them special powers. Ichigo Momomiya is a typical high school girl until she is infused with the genes of the endangered Iriomote Wildcat.
She soon discovers that four other girls have also been given powers from the genes of endangered animals. The five girls, known as the Mew Mews, must work together to protect the Earth from alien invaders using their newfound powers.
28. Hiiro no Kakera: The Tamayori Princess Saga
The series follows the adventures of Tamaki Kasuga, a young girl chosen as the Tamayori Princess, a guardian of an ancient sword. She is charged with protecting the sword from the forces of evil that are out to destroy it.
To do so, she must gather five Guardians, and together, they must protect the sword and its five pieces from being used for evil. Eventually, Tamaki discovers the secrets of her past and the dark forces that seek to use the power of the sword.
29. Kase-san and Morning Glories
Yui Yamada is an introverted girl who is a member of her high school’s gardening club, and Tomoka Kase is the track and field star. Yui and Tomoka become friends and eventually develop romantic feelings for each other.
As their relationship blossoms, they must navigate the difficulties of high school and their feelings for each other. It is an uplifting and inspiring story that captures the beauty of young love.
30. Peach Girl: Super Pop Love Hurricane
Momo Adachi is a high school student who struggles to fit in due to her tanned skin, which she believes makes her unpopular with her classmates. She has a crush on Kairi Okayasu, a popular classmate. However, Kairi’s best friend, Toji, loves her, and her former friend Sae does not want her to be with Kairi.
Meanwhile, Momo is also pursued by an older man named Sousuke. It is a story of every girl who tries to fit in and find her place among her peers.
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31. Paradise Kiss
Paradise Kiss is a coming-of-age anime that follows the story of a teenage girl named Yukari Hayasaka, a high school student who is content with being average and not standing out. However, her ordinary life is thrown into chaos when she is scouted by a group of eccentric fashion students, who proclaim her as the model they need for their graduate fashion show.
At first, Yukari resists joining the group, who call themselves Paradise Kiss. However, as she gets to know the members of the group better, she finds herself drawn to their passion and creativity.
32. Ergo Proxy
It is a story of an investigator named Re-l Mayer, who is tasked with discovering the source of the Cogito virus. She is accompanied by a humanoid robot called Iggy. Together, they uncover a vast conspiracy involving the government of Romdo, the mysterious Proxies, and a powerful artificial intelligence called Monad.
As they uncover the Proxies’ secrets, they understand the truth behind the virus and the source of the chaos in the world.
33. Itou Junji: Collection – Tomie
The series follows the story of a mysterious girl named Tomie, who has the power to drive people to obsession, madness, and violence. It comprises five episodes, each focusing on a different story about Tomie and her interactions with various characters.
It explores the depth of Tomie’s power, as well as the consequences of it.
34. Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
The story centers around Akebi, a high school girl living in a remote town in japan where she used to attend a primary school with her sister. One day Akebi discovers an old picture of her mother in sailor uniform and vows to enroll herself in the elite Roubai Academy that her mother attended.
But her dream gets crushed when she learns that the uniform has changed after all these years.
35. K-On!
K-On is a story of four high school girls who join their school’s light music club band, Ho-ago Tea Time, and perform several concerts to save it from being abolished.
With the help of the club’s adviser, they learn to play musical instruments and perform live shows. They become close friends and learn to appreciate the importance of music in their lives.
36. BLEND-S
Maika Sakuranomiya is an awkward and introverted high school girl who is forced to take up a job as a waitress at the café Stile, a place where the waitresses all have to act in a certain way to represent the theme of the café. Maika is assigned the role of a sadistic girl and must act when customers come to the café.
Through her job, Maika learns to be more outgoing and confident as she interacts with customers and fellow waitresses.
37. Komi Can’t Communicate
Shoko Komi is a high school girl who struggles with crippling social anxiety. She’s so shy that she’s never been able to make friends or talk to anyone. One day, however, her classmate Tadano, who has an outgoing and friendly personality, notices her and encourages her to try to make friends.
With his help, Komi slowly starts to open up and make friends, leading to her becoming more outgoing. Komi also discovers that she can sense people’s feelings and emotions and uses this to help her friends and even strangers.
38. Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro
It centers around the life of high school student Senpai, who is constantly harassed by his classmate Nagatoro. Nagatoro is an energetic and mischievous girl who loves teasing and bullying Senpai. Despite her rough exterior, Nagatoro has a soft spot for Senpai and often helps him in different situations. As the two grow closer, they learn more about each other and develop a special bond.
They experience the highs and lows of adolescence, learning to express themselves and build trust with one another.
39. The Quintessential Quintuplets
It follows the story of a high school student, Fuutarou Uesugi, who is hired to tutor the five identical Nakano sisters. Fuutarou soon discovers that each of the five sisters has a distinct personality and has difficulty studying.
As Fuutarou grows closer to the sisters, he must help them understand their strengths and weaknesses to pass their high school entrance exams.
40. Teasing Master Takagi-san
Nishikata is a middle school student constantly being teased by his classmate Takagi-san. Despite his best efforts, Nishikata cannot get the better of Takagi-san, who is always one step ahead of him in their constant game of witty banter and pranks. Even though Nishikata is often frustrated by Takagi-san’s teasing, he can’t help but be drawn to her.
Eventually, Nishikata and Takagi-san learn to overcome the obstacles in the way of their growing feelings for one another.
41. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun
Chiyo develops a crush on her classmate, Umetarou Nozaki, and discovers he is a shoujo manga artist. Chiyo is drawn into Nozaki’s world and meets his eccentric assistants, Mikoshiba and Kashima, and his editor, Mikoto.
Together, they created a manga series titled Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun. As they work on the manga, Chiyo and Nozaki’s relationship grows as they learn more about each other’s quirks and secrets.
42. Princess Jellyfish
Tsukimi Kurashita is an 18-year-old woman who moves to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an illustrator. She moves into a shared apartment complex known as Amamizukan, where she meets a group of eccentrically dressed and eccentric women who have all chosen to live there to avoid the pressures of modern society.
43. Sound! Euphonium
Kumiko Oumae is a high school student who joins her school’s brass band club. Along with her bandmates, Kumiko attempts to make it to the national competition.
The story follows the highs and lows of the club’s journey, focusing on the relationships between the members and the struggles they face as they strive to reach the top.
44. Your Lie in April
Kosei Arima is a 14-year-old piano prodigy who had become famous as a child but suddenly stopped playing after his mother, who was also his instructor, died.
After meeting a free-spirited violinist, Kaori Miyazono, his monotonous life is changed as he embarks on a journey to understand his mother’s past, pain, and music’s beauty.
45. The Flower We Saw That Day
The series follows a group of childhood friends who, after the death of one of their own, reunite to fulfill a long-held promise. The story focuses on Jinta Yadomi, a teenager who has withdrawn from society and is a recluse, refusing to attend high school.
One hot summer day, Jinta’s childhood friend Menma appears before him, miraculously coming back to life.
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