3 of our favourite ladies in shounen

Lord knows that I love my shounen series — they are what I grew up on and made me into the fan that I am today. Where this love all started was in the classic high-octane hype-filled action that the genre is so well known for. However, as time went on and I broadened my horizons as a viewer, I started to delve into all sorts of other genres of anime. 

After dipping my feet into different series that had a female perspective or female leading character, it had a knock-on effect and I started to appreciate the female characters from the shounen series I was watching even more. So that’s what I want to talk about today: 3 of my absolute favourite ladies from shounen series.

3 Of Our Favourite Ladies in Shounen

Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach)

I have spoken about Yoruichi and my complete adoration for this ultimate queen of a character numerous times before — even made an entire piece dedicated to her and characters like her. When it comes to badass anime women, I genuinely believe that Yoruichi stands at the very top. It’s not just because she is physically strong either. 

Yoruichi isn’t one to shy away when it comes to her body, in fact, it’s something she is overwhelmingly confident in and I think that is something so cool about her as a character. Similar to a character such as Rangiku from the same series, her charm and allure is something the character takes pride in, not something they are ashamed of. 

On top of all of this Yoruichi has attained ranks within Soul Society that only a select few have ever reached. She is the creator of “ Shunpo” also known as the flash-step, an ability in which soul reapers are able to move at almost impossible to follow speeds. Finally, within a society of people using zanpakuto as a means of power, Yoruichi never even reveals hers and yet she still stands at the top. 

Best ladies in shounen: Ayase Momo from Dandadan

Ayase Momo (Dandadan)

While I haven’t spoken much about Momo specifically, Dandadan is a series that I have written about here before, and it has rapidly become my favourite shounen weekly series. While I would technically say that there are two main characters in this series — Momo is the leading lady while Okarun is the leading boy — I would still name Momo if asked who the real protagonist of the series is. 

The series focuses on magic, aliens, and all things that pertain to these two subjects. And while Okarun’s supernatural abilities are certainly quite cool — while also being rather odd — Momo’s powers are much more interesting and very much belong to her as opposed to being something borrowed. 

The very first time we meet Momo she is having boy troubles in which, after receiving a sleazy remark, she immediately responds with a roundhouse kick — a wonderful way to introduce a headstrong leading lady if every there was one. Every moment with Momo — her interactions with other characters such as Okarun or her grandmother — everything is great, and I have come to really love the character.

Best shounen ladies: Nico Robin

Nico Robin (One Piece)

We arrive at Nico Robin, not only my favourite female character in One Piece, but also my favourite member of the Straw Hats — and my favourite character in the entire series. It’s safe to say I have a soft spot for Robin.

Robin is an extremely deep character with a lot of baggage, but all of these things contribute to her arc as a character, resulting in her becoming one of my absolute favourites. 

When it comes to her physical strength, she can certainly stand on their own, but it’s not where Robin shines the brightest. She holds all our hopes and dreams of someday finding out what many of the mysteries throughout the world of One Piece truly are; her strength is her mind. Robin’s abilities and sources of information not only make her a threat to other pirates, but also to the navy and the higher-ups governing them. 

It’s because of this that Robin has been unable to trust anyone for almost her entire life, regardless of whether they were a pirate, member of the navy, or even a normal old civilian. When she finally learns that Luffy is here for her as a friend, not expecting to simply use her as little more than a translator of a forgotten language, she opens up and transforms into this wonderful character. By this point, she places so much faith in her captain that it leaves you with a massive smile on your face.


So those are some of our picks — what are yours? Do feel free to share ’em down in the comments or via the usual social channels!

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Conor Evans
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