Female empowerment

Most viewers erroneously believe that female characters are just vehicles for fan service, but every great anime series knows that its female characters are vital to the story—not just through romance and comedy, but in ways that twist and advance the narrative. Here are some of the most badass anime series with female characters, serving as proof that they aren’t just there for fan service—and in some cases, they’re stronger than their male counterparts....

Anti-heroes are extremely flawed people, yet we follow their journeys and regard them as the “heroes” of their own stories. They’re non-traditional people with non-traditional stories. But for a long time, movie anti-heroes have always been men. It wasn’t until recently that women leads really took hold in cinema, let alone women anti-heroes. Fortunately, there’s been a growing wave of movies that shine a light on female anti-heroes. And they are as cunning, dangerous, and deceptive as their male counterparts....